AN: Let's get started.

The phone slipped through my hands but I caught it before it could fall to the floor. Behind me, Korea and Russia bolted from their seats, leaving a very confused England behind. I hurriedly put the phone back to my ear and tried to calm my breathing, but I was panicking. America was losing his vision? Why hadn't I been informed earlier?

"He what? I…how? Why?" I stuttered. Korea and Russia stood on the other side of the counter, looking at me anxiously.

"I underestimated the amount of methanol America was poisoned with. I thought it wasn't that large of an amount, so I took the standard length of time for his treatment. I noticed him complaining of things being fuzzy just last week, so I've been keeping an eye on his condition. He seems to be getting worse."

"Wait…he's conscious?!"

Dr. Zimmerman chuckled. "Of course he is. He's been conscious for a little over two and a half weeks now. You didn't think he was out all this time, did you?"

I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks. "Noooo," I drawled.I tried changing the subject. "Can I speak to him?"

"What the bloody hell is going on?" England asked. He got up from his chair and stood next to Russia, though when he realized just how close he was he flinched away a bit. "Who are you talking to?"

I blanched. "Uh, look, England...it's really hard to explain…"

"England?" Dr. Zimmerman exclaimed. "Oh dear…"

"England!? That bastard! I'll kill him!"

"America?"

"America…? What the hell?"

"Let her explain, England!"

"Ow, don't shove me, Korea!"

"Не трогайте меня, Англии…"

"You got England? When I get back home, I'm gonna kick his ass!"

"Everybody SHUT UP!"

Everyone in the room and over the phone stopped talking immediately. Korea, Russia, and England looked at me with wide eyes. I looked at them, enraged, and took deep breaths.

"All of you stop talking! One person at a time! Dr. Zimmerman, let me speak to America, please."

Dr. Zimmerman said something too faint for me to hear, and in just a few seconds, America's voice was coming over the line.

"Lily? Hey, what the hell's going on over there?"

I sighed. "Language," I warned.

I could just picture America rolling his eyes and smiling. "I heard something about that bastar- uh, that jerk, England. Is he really there?"

I twirled the phone's cord around my finger and glanced at said nation quickly. His emerald green eyes started back at me curiously, but I could also see anger buried underneath. Whether it was because he thought I was talking to a normal America Unit or because I wasn't giving him answers I didn't know. I looked out the kitchen window to avoid England's stare.

"Yeah…"

On the other end of the line, America cursed loudly and I shook my head. Would he ever stop swearing? How many times have I told him to watch his language? I sighed and focused my attention on a squirrel digging out in the yard. No matter how many times I scolded him, he never listened, and for some odd reason, that made me smile a bit.

"-even listening to me?"

I snapped out of my thoughts. "What?"

America sighed. "I said, Dr. Zimmerman is going to release me today. I'm all done with treatment."

I gasped, my eyes widening. "R-Really?" I asked, happiness evident in my voice. "For real? It's been so quiet and…well, ever since-" I stopped, tears coming to my eyes. How was I supposed to tell him about Canada?

"Ever since what?" he asked. I bit my lip and looked at Korea and Russia for help, but all they could do was shrug.

"Oh nothing. Hey, do you wanna talk to-"

"England? Fuck no."

"I was going to say Korea and Russia, thank you very much." I huffed. I handed the phone to Korea and he put it to his ear eagerly, smiling and laughing because either he was relieved to know that America was safe, or America said something funny.

As the phone got passed around and Korea and Russia had their chances to talk to America, England came over to my side of the counter and stared at me quietly. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't show any indication that he was going to. I looked past him nervously and wrung my hands together. How was I supposed to tell him that America was not the America England thought he was?

Before I could even come up with some way to explain this, the phone was suddenly thrust back into my hands by a solemn looking Korea. "He's asking for Canada…" he muttered. I gulped and took the phone with slightly shaky hands.

"Hey, it's me." I said once I brought the phone back to my ear. "What's up?"

"Put Canada on the phone. I wanna talk to him, you know, to let him know I'm okay."

I sighed. "Canada's…" I looked at Korea and Russia, but they only shrugged. England raised his eyebrows and gave me a questioning look. "Canada's sleeping right now. I sent him to bed because I think he might have a cold."

"…Really." America deadpanned. I bit my lower lip, hoping he wouldn't ask questions. "Hmm, okay then!" His voice was suddenly cheery and I could practically hear the smile in it. "I'll just talk to him when I get home then."

"Uh, yeah! Sounds like a plan!" I gave an internal sigh of relief and ran a hand through my hair. "So uh…what are we doing about bringing you home and stuff?"

"I don't know. Here, I'll put the doc back on the phone."

"All right, cool."

I waited for a moment for America to give Dr. Zimmerman the phone. I heard them talking about something, but it was too faint to decipher the words. The phone must have been handed over, because Dr. Zimmerman's voice was suddenly very close and loud.

"America, don't touch-"

"Um, is everything okay?" I asked uncertainly.

I heard something fall to the floor and break. "-that." Dr. Zimmerman finished lamely.

"Uh…"

Dr. Zimmerman sighed. "Ah, never mind. Everything's fine. So, when would you like to come and pick up America?"

I shrugged. "How soon does America want to come home?"

"Like, right now!" I heard America yell. "I'm sick of this place!"

"That settles it then. How soon can you get here?" Dr. Zimmerman asked.

I looked at the clock on the wall. It was nearing three o'clock in the afternoon, and since it took three and a half hours one way, I wouldn't get home until around ten. I also didn't have anything else to do today, so I could leave as soon as possible.

That thought in mind, I answered "Right now," and glanced at my Units. Should I take them with me or make them stay home? It didn't seem fair to make them stay, but I really wanted to be the first person America saw. There was also the fact that he absolutely hated England with a passion, so it would be best to hold off their encounter for as long as possible. And what if Canada suddenly reappeared at the house while I was gone? England wouldn't know what to do, so maybe it would be better to leave Korea and Russia with him and I would go by myself…

I shook my head. Whatever, I'll just go by myself. I wrapped up the conversation with Dr. Zimmerman and hung up, a bit miffed. He said something about a "ridiculously huge medical bill" and having to get America glasses or contacts. On top of that, I still had to pay for his first trip to the hospital and student loans, not to mention I needed money for food, clothes, utility bills, and other necessities. My bank statement had come in the mail the other day and apparently I only had a few thousand dollars left in my saving account. With no job, a halted education, and a bunch more mouths to feed, how was I going to afford all of this? I cringed. I probably wasn't.

Turning around to face my Units, I smiled and they could tell something good was up. "I'm going to go pick America up." I said. Korea cheered and Russia smiled widely. England, however, looked like his normal grumpy self. "I probably won't be back until about ten-ish, so find something on TV to watch or whatever."

"Wait, wait." Russia said, holding up a hand for me to stop. "We are not going?"

I looked away nervously. "Well, I was thinking, what if Canada comes back? England won't know what to do, and you guys know him better anyway…"

Korea smirked. "So basically you're saying you want to be the first one he sees because you miss him so much."

"…Pretty much, yeah."

Korea laughed. "All right, we'll give you this one. But if we ever have to go back and leave America at the hospital for a few days, we're all going to pick him up, okay?"

I nodded and smiled, glad to know that they were okay with it. Well, Korea and Russia anyway. England now looked very, very annoyed.

"I can't believe, and out of all places too, that I have to get stuck with that git…"

I chuckled nervously. "Um, about that. You see, America isn't-"

Korea stopped me by shaking his head furiously. Russia was smirking and looking at England with a malicious glint in his eyes. From the looks they gave me they seemed to want England to be surprised, and I supposed it wouldn't hurt to play just a little trick on him…

"America isn't what?" England asked, getting impatient.

"He's not…" Wow, I can't make up lies to save my life. I shrugged and waved it off. "Whatever. I'm going to pick America up. You guys stay here and don't destroy the house, okay?"

"No guarantees," Korea said with a smirk. I rolled my eyes and grabbed my car keys, then headed out to the garage, but not before giving my Units a small wave goodbye. I had accidentally left the garage door open, so it was bitter cold while I walked to my car. I got in and turned on the car, started blasting the heat, and then backed out of the garage quickly. In a matter of seconds, I was driving out of my driveway and down the street, starting the long journey to finally bring America home.

As I was driving down to Concord, I couldn't help but think about how America would react to England. Judging by the way he swore over the phone, it wasn't going to be pretty. But that was to be expected, I suppose. After all, his manual (which was actually the normal America Unit's manual) said he absolutely refused to see England, but it also said the same thing about Canada and now America and Canada were best friends and practically brothers. Would America be able to get over his hard feelings for England like he did with Canada? I sure hoped so; I didn't need World War Three starting just because they couldn't get along.

Not only was I worried about what would happen when America and England finally saw each other, but I had America's eyesight to worry about as well. It was up to America whether he wanted glasses or contacts, and that was fine, but I wondered how damaged his eyesight actually was.

The fact that Canada still hadn't shown up was also very upsetting. It's been three weeks; where could he possibly be? So far, there was no news about his whereabouts. I had absolutely no idea where he was, or if he was okay. He could be anywhere in the United States. Heck, he could be across the globe for all I knew. He could be anywhere in the world and I wouldn't know exactly where he was or how to bring him home.

Needless to say, my life was kind of a mess right now.

But I wasn't going to let that bring me down. As much as it pained me to think about America and Canada's predicaments, I wasn't going to let it depress me to the point where I couldn't be motivated to do anything. I swore that I would protect my Units and dang it I was going to do that! And I had been tested time and time again by the FMBDS to see just how long I would keep that promise, I had haven't broken it yet. The second step was to finally bring America home and somehow get Canada back.

It was a few hours later that I finally pulled into the Concord Hospital parking lot. The sun had set just an hour earlier at around five o'clock, so it was pretty dark outside. The light from the "Special Units Center" sign above the sliding glass doors leading into the hospital gave off a red glow that was just bright enough to let me see where I was walking. I got out of my car and didn't bother locking the doors; I was pretty sure this would be quick. Taking a deep breath, I tugged at the bottom of my shirt and entered the hospital.

The first thing I saw was America. He was sitting in a chair in the small waiting room next to the secretary's desk. His head lifted when he heard the door open and he had a hopeful look in his eyes that quickly turned into one of pure joy as he jumped out of his seat and ran to me. He spread his arms wide and I did the same, and we both spun around as we hugged each other tightly. I laughed and tears of happiness were welling up in my eyes. Here I was finally picking America up after leaving him for three weeks. I was so happy and overwhelmed that I didn't even bother to wipe the tears away as they started to roll down my cheeks.

"Hey," I said after I sniffed and tried to compose myself. A huge grin was on America's face, but he wasn't as emotional as I was. "Miss me?"

America rolled his eyes. "Of course I did. I was stuck in a room with the same old guy for three weeks."

"I missed you too."

America laughed. "Hurry up and sign those stupid release papers. I wanna go home."

It was then that I saw just how tired America was. He had dark circles around his eyes and his whole appearance gave off a fatigued look. I quickly agreed and walked over to the secretary's desk, and she handed me a packet of paper with a smile.

"Would you like to see Dr. Zimmerman?" she asked. I was about to answer yes when I remembered what America said just a few seconds ago. Deciding it would be better to leave and just talk to Dr. Zimmerman on the phone later, I shook my head and went over to the waiting area to begin filing out America's release papers.

America sat down next to me and drummed his fingers on the arm of my chair impatiently. I hurried through the paperwork as fast as I could so we could go home, but there was just so much to fill out! I heard America's stomach rumble and without thinking, I took a ten dollar bill out of my back pocket and handed it to him.

"Go find something," I said, not looking up from my work. "But if you can wait until we get on the road, that'll be good."

America shifted in his seat. "I'm fine. The food here sucks anyway. I wanna go to McDonalds! So hurry up!" he whined. I rolled my eyes and signed my name on one last line, and then I was done.

I got up and handed the packet to the secretary, and she bid us goodbye as America and I left. I had my arm over America's shoulders as we walked out of the hospital and to my car. America got into the passenger side as I got into the driver's and as soon as I had the car running, we were out of there.

However, it was brought to my attention that America needed glasses or some other form of visual aid when he tried reading my Biology textbook that I for some reason had in my car. I looked over to him as we passed a CVS and noticed him squinting at the words and pictures on the page.

"Can't read it?" I asked, even though it was obvious.

America grunted but didn't look up. "Doc says I'm farsighted. Whatever that means."

"He didn't explain it to you?"

"Wasn't listening."

I rolled my eyes. Figures. "Far sighted means you can see far away and you can't see things up close."

"That would explain why I can't read this stupid book."

"Did Dr. Zimmerman recommend a place where we can get your glasses?"

America shook his head and closed the book with a sigh. He looked out the window, and I could see an almost sad look in his eyes. "I don't think so. I'm pretty sure that's up to you."

I pulled into a gas station and drove up to a pump, putting the car in park and taking the keys out of the ignition. Running a hand through my hair, I sighed and looked over at America. "It's also your choice whether you want glasses or contacts. Which would you prefer?"

America put his chin in the palm of his hand and rested his elbow on the windowsill. The light from the convenience store reflected in his eyes and I could see that they were shining with unshed tears.

"Hey," I said softly, reaching over and putting a hand on his left arm. He flinched but didn't move away. "What's wrong?"

His lips curved down into a frown. "Nothing," he muttered. He turned away and from that one action, I could tell the conversation was over.

I quickly filled up the gas tank and soon we were back on the road. The ride was quiet as we made our way through Concord and to the store nearby to get America some form of visual aid. After looking up eye care facilities in the Concord area, we found out that there was a place called Concord Eye Care right next to the hospital. Luckily we hadn't gone far, so I turned around at a U-turn and headed back towards the hospital. I parked near the front doors and we both got out, heading inside.

We didn't have to wait for an eye test or anything because technically we didn't even have an appointment scheduled, but we also had a prescription directly from the doctor. America and I were escorted to the glasses section and we sat down with a doctor. America decided on glasses instead of contacts, so I showed the doctor the prescription strength America needed and he brought us over to a whole rack of glasses, then went back to his desk to fill out some paperwork.

America had to stand almost halfway across the room in order to see the glasses on the shelves. He frowned at the designs he had to choose from, but his eyes suddenly brightened when he saw a pair of glasses on the top shelf. He walked over to them and picked them up, then put them on and looked in a mirror. He seemed to like what he saw, for he turned around and smiled at me.

"Well, what do you think?"

He looked exactly like the normal America. He picked wire-rimmed glasses that matched the normal America's perfectly. If I hadn't known before that this America was the War for Independence America, then I would've thought he was just another normal America Unit.

I gaped at America. "They look…wow," I said. It was all I could say. The resemblance was incredible.

America frowned. "You don't like them?" He reached up to take them off, but my hand shot out and grabbed his arm before he could.

"N-No! They look great!" I exclaimed. "Really! You should totally get those!"

He turned back to the mirror and sighed. Suddenly, he frowned. "I look like the America I should've been…" he mumbled.

I shook my head. "No, you look like he America you already are. You and the other America are so drastically different it's impossible to compare you to one another."

America frowned even further. "But no one even wanted me. That's the thing. Everybody likes the other America more than me. I'm just another one of those Units that get tossed outside and aren't allowed back in..."

My mouth fell open in shock. I had no idea America felt this way… "I wanted you," I retorted. America looked down at his feet. "And I would never kick you out."

"But you expected the normal America Unit. And don't forget that you tried to send me back the day you got me," America said hotly.

My voice got caught in my throat. What he said was completely true. I wasn't expecting him at all, and I had tried to send him back as soon as I got him. But that was only because he was threatening me and I had no idea what Flying Mint Bunny Inc. did to Units that got sent back! "…That's true, but now that we've been together for so long, I'd never give you up for a normal America. You're unique. You're so much different than the other one. I wouldn't trade you for anything in the world. And I only tried sending you back because one: you were kind of scaring the crap out of me and a panicked, and two: I didn't have a clue as to what the FMBDS did to Units that got sent back."

America didn't look convinced, so I pulled him aside next to the wall and knelt down to his level, my hands on his shoulders. "Look," I said. America looked up from his shoes and directly into my eyes. "I made a promise that I would never let anything harm you after I called Customer Services. You're my Unit; it's my job to protect you no matter what. You mean everything to me, America. You, Canada, Korea, Russia, and England. Don't think for a second that I don't care about you or that I want you gone. We may have our ups and downs, but they only serve to bring us closer." I paused and bit my lip, feeling tears welling up in my eyes. "I love you, America. I may not say it out loud very often, but always know that I do."

America stared at me in surprise, his mouth hanging open. He blinked a few times and his bottom lip quivered. "You…you love…me…?" he asked, his voice shaking.

I smiled and ruffled his hair. "I just told you, didn't I? Now come on, let's get your glasses and go home." I stood up and started to walk back to the doctor's desk, but America grabbed my wrist tightly.

"Lily?"

I looked back at him curiously. "Hm?"

"I love you too."

My house turned into a battlefield as soon as America spotted England sitting on the couch in the living room.

I had just parked in the garage and turned off the car. I felt myself growing nervous at the thought of America encountering England, and with good reason. If America could point an incredibly sharp bayonet at a small and helpless Chibi Canada, then I didn't even want to think about what would happen when America and England finally met. I had the feeling my house would once again be trashed, or at the very least some highly unpleasant words would be said, or more likely yelled.

So that's why I was as slow as a snail getting out of the car and taking the house keys out of my pocket. I tried to stall as long as possible, but I knew that I was only delaying the inevitable. With a sigh, and I could see America growing impatient, I walked up to the door leading into the house, unlocked it, and walked in.

As soon as America saw England sitting on the couch and sipping a mug of what I assumed was tea, his face twisted into a deep scowl and he balled his hands into fists at his side. His whole body shook with silent rage and I tried thinking of ways to stop the violence before it even started, but I was drawing a blank.

Suddenly, England looked up from the newspaper he was holding and our eyes met for less than a second before he glanced over to America. He scowled but his eyebrows quickly furrowed in confusion when he saw just how angry America looked. However, when realized he was letting his guard down and America could somehow use it to his advantage, he rolled his eyes and looked away, pretending to be uninterested.

"I told you he was here…" I whispered to America. He huffed and cracked his fingers.

"I can't believe they gave you that bastard," he growled, and took a step forward. I stepped forward as well and put a hand on his shoulder in a pathetic attempt to restrain him, but he only shook it off. "How dare he show his face here. There'll be hell to pay."

"Oi, git! If you have something to say, why don't you say it to my face? I'm right here you know. Though I doubt it's anything important. You do have tendency to say ridiculously stupid things, after all," England called as he looked up from the newspaper.

That was the last straw for America. He crossed the room in long strides and loomed over England ominously. He grabbed England by the front of his shirt and pulled him close, much like he did to me on the night that he arrived at my house. I shuddered and outstretched my hand, as if doing so would somehow save England from America's wrath.

"Say that again, limey bastard," I heard America hiss. "You want me to rip out your tongue?"

"Honestly, what's gotten into you?" England retorted. "I had no idea you were capable of being anything other than dim-witted and perpetually air-headed."

Oh my God, England…just please, stop talking! I thought frantically. I had never seen America this angry before. He was absolutely livid. And the way England was talking to him didn't help his chances of survival, and it certainly didn't decrease the possibility that an all out brawl would commence and leave my house in ruins once again.

"Fucking British asshole!" America yelled, and raised his fist. He brought it down faster than I could close my eyes and look away, and England turned his head to the side at the last second. England then shoved America's shoulders and sprang up from the couch, a malicious glint in his eyes.

"I know who you are," he muttered. His lips stretched into a frown, but they soon curved upwards into a smirk. "You're the War for Independence America, aren't you? No wonder you hate me so much…"

"Not my fucking fault!" America spat back. "You're the oppressive, tyrannical, self-centered douche bag!" He picked himself off the floor and held his fists in front of him, defending himself and getting ready to attack without warning.

"Now, now, silly America. Don't shout at me. I thought you claimed you were an adult. Didn't you say you were ready to be your own country?"

America swung at England and hit him right in the nose, causing the latter Unit to stumble and fall back on the couch. "Don't tell me what to do!" America shouted. He then proceeded to jump on England and punch madly at him. The two of them rolled around on the couch, their arms tangled as they tried to beat the other into a bloody pulp.

While this war continued to rage, I stood on the sidelines with my mouth open. I watched in horror as America and England duked it out, their swears resounding throughout the house. My head moved back and forth as I tried to catch sight of America and England's faces, but their bodies and arms blocked too much of the view. It was only when Korea came running down the stairs that I snapped out of it and looked away.

Korea jumped off the last stair step and landed next to me. He had a controller in his hand and a very annoyed look on his face. "Can you guys shut up for a few minutes?" he yelled over America and England's profanities. "I'm trying to watch my dramas, da-ze!" Suddenly, he blinked and looked at the two Units in shock. "Oh…so America's back and they…" he trailed off.

I raised an eyebrow. "You think?"

Korea chuckled. "So uh, what are we going to do? Looks like they're really going at it."

"I have no idea. Do you know where Russia is? I'm sure he'll be able to do something."

"I heard my name," Russia called. He came around the corner from the hallway leading to the playroom and smiled. "You need me?" Hearing the commotion, he stuck his head into the living room and raised both of his eyebrows. "Wow," he said. "Who started it? America, I assume?"

"Actually, I think it was England." I replied. Korea and Russia gave me incredulous looks. "Well, he said something about saying things to his face rather than saying it behind his back, so I assumed he could hear us talking, and then America got pissed…England realized which America he was and went all evil and stuff…"

Korea grunted. "That's odd…are you sure that's not Pirate England in disguise? The Pirate England Units are known to be really violent, da-ze."

Russia nodded in agreement. "Normal England Units are just grumpy all the time, while the Pirate England Units are always violent, drunk, or a combination of both. Normal England Units usually get reminiscent and cry a lot when they get drunk. I've never seen an England Unit act like this one has before, and that's saying something because I've seen a lot of them at Flying Mint Bunny Inc."

Well this news was just fantastic. Not only were England and America trying to murder each other, but just the fact that England wanted to murder America was highly unsettling. Did something go wrong when he was being programmed?

"Maybe I should call Customer Services…" I mumbled. Korea and Russia turned to me with horrified expressions on their faces.

"Don't do that!" Korea exclaimed. "Remember what happened the last time you did?"

"I know, I know, but I think I remember there being an option for something like this on their automated options menu thing. Look, let me give it a try while you guys go and stop their fighting, okay? If something goes wrong, I'll hang up immediately; I promise. Actually, now that I think about it, Brent gave me his number when Russia got here. I bet he knows something we could do. I'll give him a call first."

Russia and Korea exchanged glances before nodding and moving into the living room. I walked with them but continued on into the kitchen, where I started looking for the note Brent left with Russia. It seemed like so long ago that I got Russia shipped to the house…time really does fly by with Units, I suppose.

I finally found the note under a few pieces of paper and picked up the house phone, then began to dial the number. I heard lots of shouting in the background, so I stole a quick glance over my shoulder just to make sure everything was okay. Russia had America in a headlock and Korea was holding England back by wrapping his arms around England's waist while simultaneously groping his breasts. I rolled my eyes and finished dialing the number. All I had to do know was hope and pray that Brent answered his phone.

I didn't even get the chance to do that, however, for an automated voice immediately came on the line. "The number you are trying to reach has been disconnected and is no longer in service. The person you are trying to call has either changed their phone number or disconnected their cell phone service."

I started at the phone in my hands. "…What?" I mumbled to myself. Thinking maybe there was something wrong with my home phone, I hung up and dialed the number again. The same message was relayed. Still confused, I hung up the phone and looked at the floor, contemplating what I just heard.

His phone got disconnected…maybe that's why he never called me like he said he would. It's been a while now. How long has his phone been disconnected? Why was it disconnected in the first place?

"Is everything okay?" Russia asked, his voice strained from his throat being pressed up against America's neck. It made him sound funny, but I was in no mood to laugh right now.

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up. "Uh, yeah. He didn't answer. Must be busy or something. I'll try Customer Services instead." I walked down the hallway briskly and took the stairs two at a time, all while replaying that message in my head over and over again. The number you are trying to reach has been disconnected and is no longer in service. What would cause Brent to suddenly disconnect a very important method of communication? Was he trying to hide something?

There were too many questions running through my head and I didn't have time to think about them right now, so I ignored them as I searched in my room for any one of my Units' manuals. The first one I found was Canada's—my heart sunk when I saw it—so I grabbed it and headed back downstairs. As I walked through the living room, I passed Russia dragging America away and shoving him in my coat closet, then standing in front of the door so America couldn't get out. Korea was wrestling with England on the couch and trying to get him to calm down by saying something in Korean…needless to say it was not working out very well for him.

When I got back into the kitchen, I flipped to the very last page of Canada's manual and dialed the number listed under "Customer Services" then waited for someone, hopefully Brent, to pick up. A few moments of silence passed before the prerecorded message played.

"Thank you for calling Flying Mint Bunny Inc.'s Customer Service office. If your Unit is trying to kill you, press one. If your Unit is stuck in a specific mode, press two. If your Unit is displaying a mode not specified in the user's manual, press three."

I pressed three and waited with growing anxiousness for a real person to finally talk to me.

"We understand your Unit is displaying a mode not specified in the user's manual. Please wait while we connect you with an operator."

"Oh my God, just pick up already…" I mumbled.

Finally, after a few more minutes of silence, I was connected to someone from Customer Service. "Hello. My name is Alexander, and I will be assisting you today. I understand your Unit is displaying a mode not specified in the user's manual?"

I stopped myself before I could say anything. I knew this voice. It was a little deep to recognize whom exactly it belonged to, but I definitely knew this voice from somewhere. Another thing I knew for certain: whoever this was, it wasn't Brent.

"Uh, yes. My England Unit is acting a bit…strange as of recently. Quick question, if you don't mind me asking. Can you connect me to Brent Saxton? I've had him as an operator in the past, plus I'd like to talk to him about some personal things since I was unable to contact his cell phone."

The man, I forgot his name already, was quiet for a few long seconds. "I'm sorry ma'am," he finally said. "We don't have anybody working here named Brent Saxton."

"…What?"

"I think you've gotten the names wrong. We have a new employee named Trent, but no such Brent exists here. I will admit the two names sound very similar, so I understand why you are confused."

"So…so there's nobody there named Brent?"

"Nope, sorry ma'am. I can honestly say that within our entire company, there is not one person named Brent Saxton. I apologize for any inconvenience."

I stared at the floor, too shocked to say anything. So Brent didn't even exist…? What am I thinking? Of course he existed! I saw him with my own two eyes, didn't I?

…Didn't I?

"Ma'am? Is everything all right?" the operator asked uncertainly.

I shook my head to rid it of those unpleasant thoughts. "Oh yes, sorry. I just needed to take care of something for a second. So, uh…"

"Alexander," the man reminded me.

I nodded. "Right. Alexander. Sorry, I'm just really bad with names. Well, I'm sure you can help me anyway. My England Unit is showing signs of extreme violence and aggression. I don't see this mode in his manual anywhere…"

"Hmm, that is quite interesting. Do you happen to have a War for Independence America Unit by any chance?"

I froze.

Was this guy onto me?

"Uh, no! No, I don't. " I lied. I began to pick at my fingernails nervously. "I didn't even know you guys had that kind of Unit."

"Really? They're quite popular. Well, if you don't have a War for Independence America, then something went wrong in your England Unit's programming. Saying anything indicated in his manual to get him to switch modes ought to work. If it doesn't please give us a call and we will take the Unit back to the company for fine tuning."

"A-All right, thank you. Goodbye."

I hung up before I gave Alexander the chance to say goodbye. Taking shaky breaths, I went into the living room to go find England's manual. Fine tuning? What the heck did that mean? Would they try to kill England too? Maybe calling Customer Services was a bad idea…

As I picked up England's manual and began to flip through it to find the modes I could program him into, England and Korea began to fight in the living room. I could still here America pounding against the coat closet door and shouting to be let out, so I quickly found the page and read it out loud, hoping Korea and Russia were paying attention.

Reprogramming

After successfully getting your ARTHUR KIRKLAND out of his box, you can decide to reprogram him to any of the following modes.

Grumpy (default)

Bossy (default)

Drunk/Emo

Loving

Terrified

Horny (locked)

The ARTHUR KIRKLAND unit comes in his Grumpy mode, and Bossy comes as an addition to his normal stoic personality. If he starts cackling randomly, don't worry - that will appear in various modes and shows that he is planning revenge on some other poor, unsuspecting unit. This revenge will most likely work, but he never laughs in the present of his target; therefore, if you hear it, you can ignore him.

The Drunk/Emo mode is extremely simple, really; ARTHUR KIRKLAND has a high alcohol tolerance, and he loves to drink, but will become depressed after a few rounds. He is actually pretty sober when he starts crying about ALFRED F. JONES abandoning him, or his family hating him; it's rare for him to get truly drunk, which is another mode.

The Loving mode can be utilized by telling ARTHUR KIRKLAND that you too can see fairies, or that you like British food. He becomes very happy, trusting, and lovable.

The Terrified mode is a very fun one to unlock, presuming you like gay guys and hardcore BDSM. Before attempting to unlock this, we recommend setting up cameras all over your house. To get this mode, set an ALFRED F. JONES, FRANCIS BONNEFOIS, or ANTONIO FERNANDEZ CARRIEDO unit into their respective Postal, Rape-Maniac, or Psychotic Break modes; for easier access, put ARTHUR KIRKLAND into Loving, but for more delicious footage, leave him in Grumpy mode. After this, just lock your unit and any of the listed above in your house for a few days. When you come back, ARTHUR KIRKLAND will be trembling and promising to do anything for whichever unit you had him with. To get him out of this, leave him with a normal KIKU HONDA unit for two to three weeks, or get him a private rape therapist.

The locked mode, Horny, can be unlocked by actually getting your ARTHUR KIRKLAND unit drunk. He will be smiling lasciviously at anyone he sees, walking with a disturbing sway of his hips, and clinging onto any nearby unit(s). He is notorious for running off with all three Bad Touch units, and not returning for days.

"Put him in Horny!" Korea yelled, and he laughed when I almost threw the manual at his head.

"You're an idiot!" I retaliated. "Russia, any ideas?"

"Put him in Terrified! I'll punch out his teeth and make him beg on his knees!" America screamed from the closet. I face palmed.

"My Units are all idiots…" I mumbled. Sighing, I walked over to England and went with the only option that wouldn't cause a lot of damage. "Oh my Gosh, England!" I exclaimed. "I like, love your cooking! And I can totally see unicorns and fairies too!"

The change in behavior was almost instantaneous. Right in front of my eyes, England became the most innocent person I had ever seen. The malicious glint in his eyes disappeared immediately and was replaced with a shiny, puppy dog look. His smirk turned into a real, joyful smile, and I swear, if he had a tail, it would be wagging a mile a minute.

"You do?" he asked excitedly. He looked like he was about to explode from happiness.

I forced a smile. "Yeah! It's really tasty! I like your scones the best!"

I found myself staggering backwards as England launched himself at me and wrapped his arms around my waist. A blush crept up my cheeks as I stood there with England hugging me tightly. He buried his head into my side and he started jumping up and down excitedly. I scratched the back of my neck nervously and looked at Korea with a "What the heck just happened?" look. Korea simply shrugged.

"Um…can you please let go of me?" I asked timidly. England suddenly went rigid, and then his arms dropped from my waist. He stood up with a faint blush on his cheeks and a huge smile stretched across his face.

"Haha, sorry about that," he said happily. "But I'm just so excited!" At this, he began to jump up and down and clap his hands. "Everybody always told me my cooking was horrible, but I just knew someone had to like it!"

Okay, this mode was freaking me out more than I ever thought possible. Seeing England this happy was cute, but it was just so unnatural. It made me so uncomfortable to see England in any mood other than his normal grumpy self. So, for the benefit of my sanity and probably everyone else's, I walked over to the closet and let America out.

The moment he began to yell and threaten England, I knew it was only a matter of seconds before England reverted back to his normal self. He immediately changed back into his default Grumpy mode when America called him a "tea-loving bastard whose food tastes like shit covered in toxic waste and then left to ferment in a pile of garbage for ten years".

Yeah, letting America out of the closet was probably not a good idea.

England's eyebrows furrowed in anger and he quickly began to shout back at America. I had to jump in-between the two before they could start trying to hit each other again, and I forced England to sit down on the couch as I tried to explain why America was acting so rash and violent. America stood behind me, his hands balled into fists at his side and his whole body quivering in anger. Russia was restraining him while Korea stood next to England, ready to tackle him to the ground if he made any sudden movements.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm my nerves. I knew this would happen. I knew America and England were going to try to kill each other. Well, I knew for sure that America wanted to, but seeing that England wanted to as well was kind of a shocker. But that was all fixed…I hope.

"Look," I said slowly. England looked up at me with a scowl. "There's some explaining I need to do."

"Oh yes, tons." England jeered. Behind me, America started struggling against Russia's powerful grip.

"Shut the fuck up, British bastard! And this is our fight, not yours, Lily!" he yelled, turning his words to me.

"I wasn't trying to get into it!" I exclaimed. "Now shut up and let me finish!" I took another deep breath and counted to five. This wouldn't work if my frustration levels were through the roof. "England," I started. "I tried telling you earlier today that America was not the America you expected him to be, but Korea and Russia kind of prevented me from doing that by wanting you to be surprised when I brought him home…"

"Smart move," England commented. "Honestly, what were you thinking? Why didn't you just-"

"Let. Me. Finish." I said through gritted teeth. England stopped immediately. "As I was about to say, yes, I now realize that it was the dumbest thing we could have ever done."

"I'll say…" Korea mumbled. Russia shot him a dirty look.

"Oh shut up. You were in on it too!"

"Anyway," I continued. "The point is: if you couldn't already tell, this America is the War for Independence Unit. That explains why he kind of hates your guts…"

"I have a perfectly legitimate reason to!" America shouted.

"Prove it, you little brat!" England retorted.

"Guys, guys, just SHUT UP." Both Units fell silent. "Please, I don't want any more fighting. All I wanted to do was inform England about America in hopes that it would bring some understanding and prevent fighting, but obviously that was not the case." Turning around, I grabbed America's arm and tugged him over to the stairs. "America, you're staying upstairs for the rest of the night and England, you're staying downstairs. There will be no breaking this rule, understand?"

America just scoffed. "Whatever. I didn't want to see his ugly face anyway."

"And I didn't want to have to hear the whines of an ungrateful little colony."

America's arm was out of my grasp in the blink of an eye, but just as quickly I caught him again and dragged him up the stairs. "No fighting!" I repeated. America only huffed in response.

When we got to the top of the stairs, I pushed America into his room and shut the door behind him. "Don't come out until I say so. If you try, I'll know. My door will be open so not only will I hear you, but I'll see you as well."

When America didn't respond, I sighed and pushed the door open to my room. I walked up to my bed and just collapsed onto it, too physically and mentally exhausted to climb into bed the right way. I groaned into the thick comforter and turned over so I was facing the ceiling and just let my thoughts wander.

At first, I couldn't stop thinking about what had just gone down between America and England. That was probably the angriest I've ever seen America or England, and it was one of the most scariest experiences I've ever had. I honestly thought England and America wanted to kill each other. And to think, Russia, Korea, and myself thought it wouldn't hurt to not tell England the truth while we still had the chance…

Now how would things be at home? England and America hated each other, so would every day just be an attempt to prevent them from fighting? Would they ever stand being around each other? Would they ever stop fighting and hurting one another? Would they ever stop yelling and cussing each other out? Most importantly, would they ever set aside the differences in how they were programmed and become friends, or at the very least, neutral?

I didn't want every day to be a struggle. I didn't want my life and their lives to be a constant fight amongst each other. I didn't want to have our family fall apart, to have someone run away because the fighting was too much, to go to bed every night and regret ever signing up for these stupid Units in the first place.

Eventually, my mind ran out of things to think about and I could feel myself getting drowsy. Though my door was open and I could hear everything that went on downstairs, there was nothing to be heard. The first floor was completely silent. Yawning, I crawled over to my side of the bed and got beneath the covers, not even bothering to change into my pajamas. I was too tired to care. After a few minutes, I fell asleep into peaceful dream and left all my troubles behind, something I disparately needed.

I don't know how many hours I had been asleep, for I never checked to see what time it was before I went to bed, but I did know that I was woken up at 3:14 in the morning by the sound of Korea's bedroom door creaking open.

I opened my eyes and blinked, then turned to look at the clock. The numbers 3:14 glowed a soft red and I squinted. I was about to turn back onto my other side and try to fall back asleep when I thought I saw the silhouette of a person standing in my open doorway. Granted, I had just woken up and it was pitch black, so I couldn't tell if my eyes were playing tricks on me or not. Nevertheless, I called out hesitantly into the darkness to see if my suspicions were correct.

"Hello? America, is that you?"

"Where is Canada?"

My eyes widened and I froze.

Now I was definitely awake.

"W-What?"

"Where is my little brother?"

"America, go back to bed. We'll talk about it in the-"

"Où est Canada?" He repeated, this time louder and in French. I thought I heard his voice shaking. "Où est mon petit frère?"

My heart started beating wildly. He knew. He knew Canada wasn't here. He probably searched the entire house, only to find that his little brother was gone.

"I…I'm sorry, America. He ran away and I tired to stop him, b-but-"

"You lost him."

"America, you don't understand. There was nothing I could do…"

America didn't give me a chance to explain myself. Infuriated, he stomped out of the room, down the hall and into his room, and then slammed the door shut.

The next few weeks were some of the worst I had ever experienced in my life.

America found every possibility he could to insult or provoke England. Literally. He was purposefully going out of his way to get into a fight with England, and it was doing nothing to help lessen the tension going on at home. Not only was America trying to get only England's nerves, but he was now accusing and ridiculing me whenever he had the chance. He blamed me for Canada running away, for getting England (which, by the way, was totally unfair because I had no choice in the Units I received except America), and he brought up the touchy subject of me being the cause of the FMBDS trying to kill him.

Because of all the fights, swearing, and overall tense atmosphere at home, I often found myself leaving and not coming back for hours at a time. I spent most of my time away from home downtown at the local Dunkin' Donuts or at the library. The library had two floors to it, and since the second level was practically always empty, I went up there and sat in the farthest corner from the door. There was a table there next to a large window, so I could watch people walking around downtown when I didn't feel like reading from the giant stack of books that I had squirreled away ever since I had started coming to the library after the whole America and England incident.

When I did decide to come home, however, more often then not I would walk into the house and hear America and some other Unit yelling. Usually it was America and England, but occasionally America and Russia would fight. Korea would rarely get involved in one of America's temper tantrums, and he was lucky he did. Nowadays, America went after everyone.

But now the days were counting down to Christmas. Despite my Units being total jerks over the past month or so, namely America, I still wanted to get them Christmas presents. It only seemed natural to do so. That or I was just too soft.

So it was the day before Christmas that I decided to go shopping for presents. I procrastinated so much that I thought I wouldn't be able to get any shopping done, but luckily that was not the case. At around seven o'clock that morning, my alarm clock went off and I got out of bed, ready to start the day.

I could already hear America yelling downstairs. What he was yelling about, I didn't know, but I could also hear Russia's voice as well. I sighed and began to get dressed. Russia and America seemed to be getting into a lot more fights in the past few days. Even Korea was getting more and more involved.

I quickly brushed my teeth and hair, then went downstairs. England was in the living room watching TV, and Korea was in the kitchen cooking. It wasn't surprising to see everyone up so early. America would often keep everybody up and his fights would go on into the early hours of the morning, so nobody got much sleep. As I passed the living room, England looked up and gave me a dirty look. Everybody was always grumpy as well, and England was even more so than before.

Korea glanced at me and gave a tired smile as I walked into the kitchen. He motioned with his head to a plate of eggs and toast on the counter and I thanked him, then quickly wolfed them down. I wanted to be out of this house as soon as possible, and taking my time to eat breakfast would not help.

"You're leaving again?" Korea asked. I forced a smile.

"I'm going Christmas shopping today, so I'll be gone awhile. There's usually a lot of people doing last minute shopping at the mall."

"About that; the hospital bills came in today, as well as your bank statement. I didn't open them, so…"

Wordlessly, I walked over to the dining room table and looked through the various envelopes sacked on it. I saw one with the words "Concord Hospital-Special Units Center" on it, so I tore it open and took out the paper. It was, as Korea had said, the hospital bill, and it was not cheap.

"N-Nineteen…nineteen…" I stuttered. I looked at the number again, my eyes widening even further. "Nineteen thousand dollars…"

"Nineteen thousand dollars?" Korea asked exasperated. I nodded weakly.

"Two thousand each for GPS removal, another five thousand to get the bullets out of America's arm, and then eight thousand dollars for America's three week long treatment." Suddenly, I remembered another expense, and my jaw dropped. "Add that to my student loan payment every month…and the fact that I have no job…plus utilities, insurance, car payments, and everything else…" I felt like I was about to have a heart attack. "I'm almost sixty-two thousand dollars in debt!"

"What are you talking about?" America asked, suddenly appearing from the playroom. For once he had stopped arguing with someone. "Sixty-two thousand what?"

"Sixty-two thousand dollars in debt…" I whispered. I looked down at the paper again, doing a quick run-through of the math in my head. "Yup. Sixty-two thousand dollars. And I only have like, a few thousand left in my bank account, and only seventy dollars in my wallet…" I sighed and sat down in a barstool at the kitchen counter. "How am I supposed to afford stuff for Christmas?"

"Christmas?" Russia asked. By now, all of my Units had gravitated towards the kitchen.

I nodded. "Christmas is tomorrow."

"It's fine." England said. America shot him a dirty look and England returned it with a glare. "I'm sure everyone agrees that we don't need super expensive things for Christmas. After all, it's the thought that counts, right?"

America shrugged. "I suppose."

"What were you thinking of getting?" Russia asked.

"Whatever I thought you guys might like. But now it'll have to be small things, I guess…"

"It doesn't matter whether we get big or small things, da-ze," Korea commented. He smiled at me and turned back to the stove. "Like England said, it's the thought that counts."

"Yeah!" America agreed. This was the first time he had genuinely smiled in weeks, and it made me sad to think that it would be so short-lived. Nevertheless, I returned his smile with my own and picked up my car keys from the table.

"You guys are great. I'll probably be back late, so please behave." I looked at America sternly. "That means you."

America only rolled his eyes. "Yeah sure."

I shook my head and sighed as I walked out to the garage. I just knew I would come back home to more yelling, but who knows. Maybe my Units will surprise me and I'll come home to peace and quiet.

That comforting thought in mind, I got into my car and drove out of the driveway and down the street towards the direction of the mall.

When I got to the mall, I went straight for the small teashop next to GameStop.

As I was driving, I had already come up with what I wanted to get for my Units. The first stop was getting a few boxes of Early Grey tea for England. I walked into the shop and wrinkled my nose at the overwhelming scent of herbal teas, but pushed on to the very back of the store. There I found a whole wall just for black teas. I quickly located the Early Grey section. "Tea. Earl Grey: hot." I muttered to myself, and smiled. Giving the shelves a once-over, I took three boxes of a fancy yet inexpensive looking tea and paid for them at the cash register. The total was fifteen dollars. Only fifty-five left.

Next, I went downtown to the local Asian food market. Since I had no idea what to get America, I figured I would shop for Korea and Russia first. I walked into the store and an old Asian lady behind the counter smiled at me.

"Do you need any help looking for something?" she asked, her accent making it somewhat difficult to understand her. I nodded.

"Actually yes. I'm looking for a certain brand of kimchi…" I proceeded to describe the jar of kimchi as best as I could, and suddenly, the old lady smiled.

"You are looking for this," She lead me down an aisle and we stopped in front of a shelf full of different brands of kimchi. She pointed to a jar with lots of Korean characters on it. I couldn't understand what it said, but I recognized it as the same brand that had come with Korea when he was shipped here. I smiled and took three jars. Eight dollars each. Thirty-one dollars left.

When that was done, I got back in my car and drove to the liquor store. I knew exactly what to get Russia—vodka.

Figuring he wouldn't want some cheap American vodka or something Polish, I chose a Russian brand instead. Considering I only had thirty-one dollars left, I couldn't afford three bottles of vodka like I could three boxes of Earl Grey or three jars of kimchi. So I only got one. The vodka was pretty expensive at thirteen dollars a bottle, but I guess that's to be expected for Russian Standard.

With now only eighteen dollars left, I went to the grocery store and bought some more pancake mix and pure Canadian maple syrup for Canada. Even though he wasn't here, it didn't seem right to not get him Christmas presents. Unfortunately, pure Canadian maple syrup was about twenty bucks, so I had to run to an ATM and get more cash. After I paid for the groceries, I went back to the liquor store and bought two more bottles of Russian Standard, then went back to the mall.

There, I went directly to the A.C. Moore store and bought five Christmas stockings, one for each Unit. I also bought a squeezable container of glitter and a roll of wrapping paper and Christmas themed labels. Next, I went to the candy store and stocked up on all kinds of candy. I got Kit-Kats, Hershey's chocolates, candy canes, Lindt chocolates, and a bunch of other small things. At the small convenience store, I bought packs of gum and other small stocking stuffers. When I paid for everything, I packed it up in my car and drove down to the library.

I took everything I bought from A.C. Moore and brought it up to the table I had basically called my own on the second floor. I took the glitter and carefully spelled out Canada, America, Korea, Russia, and England's names on the fuzzy white part of the stocking. I filled their stockings with the candy and other stocking stuffers I bought, then moved onto wrapping their gifts. It didn't take too long to wrap them, and in about fifteen minutes I was done.

I sat back in my seat with a sigh and looked at my phone for the time. It was almost noon. Time really flies when you're shopping! I heard my stomach growl and I cringed. Now that I wasn't rushing around trying to get everything done, I realized just how hungry I was. Deciding now would be a good time to go get lunch, I packed everything back into my car and drove to the nearest McDonald's for a Southern Style Chicken Sandwich.

I was eating my food at my table back at the library when I suddenly got an idea. I was in a library. How could I have not seen it before? Quickly finishing the rest of my sandwich, I took my smoothie with me as I went downstairs and began to browse the comic book aisle.

I found exactly what I was looking for there. I picked up the entire set of the Captain America and Superman comic books, and since I was looking for books, I walked around to the Classics section and found a copy of Shakespeare's Sonnets, as well as a collection of his plays. I also picked up a copy of Crime and Punishment for Russia. In the CD section, I was surprised to find some Korean dramas, but I picked up a few of them anyway. And lastly, for Canada, I went to the foreign language section and found a few books for children that were in French. After I purchased everything I found, I went back upstairs to wrap them up.

I smiled at my handiwork when I had finished a half an hour later. I felt accomplished getting this much stuff done. Now all I had to do was bring it home and put everything underneath the Christmas tree that we had picked out a week earlier. I guess it didn't matter if the Units were awake or not. After all, I did tell them that I was going Christmas shopping.

As I sat in my chair looking at all of the neatly wrapped presents and congratulating myself, I couldn't get my thoughts away from Chibi Canada. Tomorrow was Christmas, one of the most important holidays of the year, and Unit I've had and known the longest wasn't even here to celebrate it.

I brought my mood down considerably, but I quickly pushed the thoughts away before I could get too emotional about them. There was no use dwelling on sad topics right before Christmas. So, to make myself forget about it for the time being, I gathered all of my stuff and piled it into my car, then headed home.

The next day, Christmas brought the family together.

There were no fights. There were no insults or curse words exchanged. For once, America and England put aside their differences and tolerated each other for my sake and the sake of the other Units. It truly warmed my heart to see them trying so hard, and to be honest, it almost made me cry.

We started Christmas like I did every year with my family: open stockings and then presents. We started with England first, since he was the last to arrive, and went down from there. Everyone liked their stocking stuffers and thanked me for going out at the last minute. As they began to snack on their candy, I looked at Canada's stocking sadly. It hung alone and filled to the brim with candy and other goodies on the fireplace. If Canada was here, would he like the stuff I got him?

Next, we moved onto the presents. I assumed the role of Santa Claus, so I walked over to the Christmas tree and grabbed a random bag. It was really heavy, and when I looked at it, I saw that it was addressed to Russia.

"'To Russia. From Lily.'" I read and handed Russia the bag. His eyes widened in surprise when he felt how heavy it was. I smiled. "I think you're going to like it."

When he pulled the three bottles of vodka out of the bag and unwrapped them, his eyes lit up with delight. A huge smiled broke out on his face and he looked at the bottles in awe, then turned to me.

"Thank you so much!" he exclaimed. "I haven't had vodka in ages!"

I smiled and picked up another present. "'To Korea. From Lily.'"

Korea took it and unwrapped the three jars of kimchi I had bought. The look on his face when he saw it was priceless. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" he yelled. He was practically bouncing in his seat because he was so excited.

Next up was England. I handed him a bag and he took it with a smile. He removed the pink wrapping paper on top and his face was beaming when he pulled out three boxes of Early Grey tea.

"Oh my," he breathed. He opened one of the boxes and inhaled deeply. "If you don't mind, I'd like to brew some right now."

I laughed. "Not at all. Merry Christmas."

As England went to go brew his tea, I handed America two large boxes. When he opened them, I thought he would've died right then and there from pure happiness.

Instead, he took his complete sets of Captain America and Superman and danced around the living room with them, a huge smile on his face. Everyone laughed and smiled as he shouted words of thanks over and over again.

The next hour was spent opening the remainder of the presents. Russia smiled fondly when he unwrapped the copy of Crime and Punishment, England was absolutely ecstatic about the copies of Shakespeare's Sonnets and his plays, and Korea got up and hugged me so tight I almost couldn't breathe when he unwrapped the Korean dramas I got him. In return, Korea got me my very own hanbok, which was pink on the bottom and white on the top with a blue ribbon. Over the course of a few weeks in secret, Russia had knitted me my own scarf, and England got me a lovely set of earrings, as well as the cutest dress I had ever seen. How England knew I loved the color blue, I had no idea.

America had gotten me a small bracelet with a bronze fleur de lis on it. It was held together by a small light blue elastic. The overall design was very simple, and I loved it. Putting it on, I thanked America and looked at myself in the mirror. I have to say, that bracelet looked pretty good on me.

"Okay," I said once I had stopped playing with the bracelet. "Now we can all have a nice breakfast. Who's up for some eggs, bacons, and toast?"

"Before that," England said quickly. He looked to the other Units and nodded. "There's still a present left under the tree."

Curious, I craned my neck to look back at the tree. The only presents left were for Canada, so why was England saying there were more? "For me?" I asked. "Because the only ones I see are for Canada…"

"In the tree is more accurate." America corrected. When I gave him a confused look, he rolled his eyes and led me over to the tree.

Resting on one of the branches about halfway up were two little black boxes. They weren't wrapped, but even if they were, I could clearly tell that they were some type of jewelry. Gently, I removed the boxes from the branch and shook them, wondering what was inside.

"Go on, open it!" Korea urged. He took me by the shoulders and made me sit down in the chair Russia had just been sitting in. Once I was sitting, everyone moved backwards and watched me in anticipation.

Carefully, I opened the first box, which was also the smaller of the two. Inside was a miniature version of the Union Jack. It had the same style of the others on my necklace, so I assumed it was made by the same person who made America, Canada, Russia, and Korea's flags.

"Would you like me to add it to your necklace?" England asked. I nodded eagerly and unhooked the necklace, then handed it to him. While he put the flag on the chain, I opened the other box slowly.

When I took out the small silver locket, my eyes widened in awe. The locket was shaped like the Earth, and it had North and South America on one side, and Africa, Europe, and Australia on the other, with Antarctica running all along the bottom of both. It was so simple yet beautiful that I had no words to describe how much I loved it, how much I appreciated having it.

Russia noticed this and smiled. "When we get Canada back, we'll get our picture taken together."

Finally, after a few moments of silence, I was able to speak. "You guys…" I whispered. "You guys are too good to me. Thank you so much." I went around and hugged every one of them, then put the locket back in its box. "You don't know how much this means to me."

America laughed. "Don't mention it! Now, I do believe it was time for breakfast…"

I smiled and nodded my head in agreement. America, Korea, Russia, and England went over to the four barstool seats behind the kitchen counter while I entered the kitchen and began to take out the ingredients for breakfast. I put the bread in the toaster and turned on the stove, then put a pan on the burner to start heating it up. While that was warming up, I turned on another burner and put a skillet on to begin the bacon. In about thirty minutes or so, everyone was served and happily eating their Christmas Day breakfast.

Everyone was chatting and I was standing behind the counter in the kitchen when suddenly the doorbell rang. I set down my fork and wiped my mouth, then started walking towards the door. "I got it!" I yelled when I swallowed my food. I opened the front door, only to be greeted by the cold morning air. "Um, hello?" I asked. I stuck my head outside the door. Nobody was there. Figuring it was just some stupid teenagers ding-dong ditching, I was about to close the door, until a small envelope on the porch caught my eye.

There was no writing on it at all. It was just a blank envelope. Curious, I picked it up and closed the door, shivering from the cold air. I began to open the letter as I was slowly walking back to the kitchen, but once I began to read it, I stopped in my tracks.

Dear Ms. Hamilton,

Do not worry; we have your Chibi Canada Unit in our possession. He has not been harmed, and has been looked after by professionals for the time he has been gone.

We are offering you the chance to give us your War for Independence America Unit in exchange for the return of your Chibi Canada Unit. This is your one and only chance to get your Chibi Unit back.

Enclosed in this letter is the location of our headquarters on the Palmyra Atoll. Please also read the second page of this letter, which tells you how to get there.

If you do not accept this offer, which expires in fifteen days, your Chibi Canada Unit will be deactivated, and your War for Independence America Unit will be found and deactivated as well.

Please choose wisely, and have a nice day.

-FMBDS

AN: So begins the end! Jesus, that was long. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and once again, I'm extremely sorry for the delay.

Mei-Ling out. Peace! :3

Mei-Ling out. Peace! :3