Hetalia © Hidekaz Himaruya

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

A/N: Meh. I had some time so I'm reviewing another chapter. Woot! I hope you like, though this chapter, I think is just filler stuff and going into the background some more. Not a lot of exciting things happen… yeah… I guess it does, but it's bluntly placed in the story ^^' ENJOY!

! #$%^&*()

"Hey Mr. Jones," you said over the phone while you parked the car into the driveway, letting everyone leave the car before closing the garage door and watching as Filipp gathered everything into his hands. "How was the day? Are you home –… Oh okay," you nodded in understanding. "Out with who?... Alright – No I won't go. I need to get Gregory situated first… I'm guessing he'll be asleep by the time you get home," you groaned while you grabbed your briefcase, Filipp's eyes widening as you grabbed the gun hiding in the glove compartment and slipped it into a holster on the side of your belt. "… Alfred… Alfred… America listen! God!" you grumbled, getting a giggle from Gregory while Filipp looked towards you baffled. "I wasn't done talking –… Okay fine. Whatever." You roughly closed the driver's door, noticing everything was accounted for and 'clicked' the car closed with the beeper in your hand. "Will you be home for dinner at least – Okay. Just have fun then. Don't be out too late. Make sure Arthur gets home in one piece… yeah fine. Do that." Rolling your eyes you closed your phone, giving Ivan a smile as you opened the door that led into the house and let everyone inside before locking the door behind you. "So Ivan," you began and set your briefcase on top of a nearby chair, "I'd invite you to stay, but I'm guessing you want to go somewhere –"

"Нет." Ivan shook his head and grinned back, "Vu are inviting me to dinner? –"

"If you don't mind homemade food then yes," you smirked, offering the tall man a seat while you whispered to Gregory and ushered him upstairs. "So ummm… Filipp I have your room downstairs. Can you follow me?"

"Sure," he nodded, you looking back and giving Ivan a look to not follow while you led the other man down the stairs, the lights off as you wandered through the lower level with Filipp following.

You kept the lights off for an obvious reason and opened a door, letting the man move to and fro avoiding the clutter on the floor as you ushered him inside. "You can stay in here," you said with a smile, the man putting his bag down and looking into the room. He could barely see a thing, your smirk growing wider as a metal bat slipped out of your hand and you swung your arm back. "While you tell me everything~ you know about my brother."

"Wha –"

His breath hitched, your bat contacting with his head while he let out a frustrated cry. As quick as a flash you grabbed a bottle of chloroform from a table by your side and added the liquid to a rag, covering it over Filipp's mouth as his eyes widened in shock and he squirmed around like a fish out of water. You kept your hand over his mouth and straddled his waist on the ground until he stopped squirming, leaving the cloth by his mouth for a few more seconds before letting go and taking a step away. "Thank god that's over," you huffed, a shudder escaping your shoulders as you flicked a switch hidden by a lamp and turned the light on in the interrogation room.

You began to drag the man, letting out a few grunts and strains as you pulled him into the room. "-insert-your-name-?" a voice came from the door, your eyes shooting up until you let out a sigh and gave the holder of the voice a smile.

"Gregory," you smiled to him, the boy noticing the blood that was on the unconscious man's head and the bloody metal rod on the ground, "I told you to stay upstairs –"

"I-I didn't want to," he pouted, stepping into the room and staring at you with sad eyes. "I… I need to see this, right?"

"If you wish," you shrugged, groaning while you pulled up the man and set him into the chair, "or you can keep Ivan occupied while I –"

"Vile you what, подсолнух~?" a much deeper voice came from behind the boy, Gregory yelping in surprise as he jumped away and shuffled to the corner of the room.

"Crap," you cursed under your breath, letting out a grunt while you tried to pull the man onto the chair and he slid back down. You huffed and flipped back your hair, giving Ivan a glare while he simply grinned at you. "… What are you going to do, Ivan~~? –"

"Подсолнух, vhy didn't you just tell me?" You stared at him confused, a smirk on his face as he walked into the room. You were used to the odd purple aura that would sometimes radiate from his body, especially over his head, but for the first time in a while you started to feel rather small and insignificant when confronting the taller man. You quickly took a step back and almost pressed yourself into the wall, Ivan looking over at you and staring at you with a look of hurt in his eyes. You gestured Gregory to leave and you glared at Ivan until the boy left, your eyes and then the features slowly turning from anger into slight fear. He seemed sad by your reaction, his head hanging down as he grabbed the unconscious man under his arms and threw him into the chair. "There. Done."

You were baffled by his actions, watching as Ivan turned around and began to walk out of the room. "… Ivan?" you called to him, the man stopping but not turning his head to look at you. "I'm… sorry for reacting that way… it's just… I can't have anyone knowing –"

"Да, I know. It's okay. Vu don't have to explain –"

"No I have to," you pouted, walking around the man slumped in the chair and grabbed Ivan's hand, pulling on him and trying to get him to turn and face you. "We have to talk about this Ivan. You know way too much about me and I can't have you get hurt."

"Hurt? Me? Россия?" Ivan turned to you, his normal smile on his face that seemed to beam brighter than it usually does. "No one can hurt Россия –"

"Ivan," you frowned, trying to get him to listen to you, "it's… just… you don't understand –"

"Vu have zan older brother in the Russian mafia and a family curse," he said as if it was as thin as air. "There zis nothing you have to explain –"

"No, you listen," you pouted, letting go of his hand and letting a tired sigh escape your lips. He looked to him puzzled, watching as you turned your back on him and you began to lock Filipp into chains and bounds attached to the chair and the wall. "… You should go see if Gregory didn't run out of the house. I'll be up in a moment." The smile on Ivan's face waned and he turned around, kicking the metal bat into the wall and causing the loud sound to echo throughout the small cell.

! #$%^&*()

Hustling down the stairs you gave Ivan and Gregory a smile, the boy smiling back while the man sat in one of the dining chairs waiting for you to finish. "Sorry about all that," you chuckled lightly, rushing over to the stove and looking at the large pot heating on the stove. "It's all done now – Say Greg could you grab the kielbasa from the fridge for me?"

"Да сестра," he nodded, his eyes still on Ivan while he stared back with an equally untrusting look and quickly did as you said.

You hummed, trying to get rid of the tension in the room, and started the rice cooker as well as start boiling the sausage. "Everything will be done in an hour," you told them, grabbing three cups and grabbing the hot water from the top of the stove. "Anyone like some tea?"

"Tea?" Gregory snorted, "You drink tea now?"

"Eh, you want some hot chocolate then?" you shrugged, throwing him a hot chocolate packet while you smirked and slid a hot cup of water and a spoon. You knew too well that your brother loved hot chocolate on a cold evening like today, so you turned your attention to Ivan who seemed to be off in his own world. "… Ivan?" you called to him.

"Huh?" he blinked, staring over at you while you smiled.

"Would you like something to drink?" You paused, a smile on your face as you handed him the hot water. "We have some instant hot chocolate and some tea packets, and don't tell me you'd rather have vodka. Not until dinner."

"Нет, vhy must ve wait –"

"Come on Ivan, don't be mean~" the boy said, grinning happily while he sipped his hot drink. "No drinking till dinner."

Ivan blinked in confusion while you chuckled, rustling up the boy's head and walking back over to the cabinets. "So would you like anything?"

"… Hot chocolatte iz okay," Ivan told you, your hand grabbing two more packets and handing over a spoon to Ivan.

You sighed as you poured the powder, thinking to yourself while the water slowly turned to chocolate. Sipping you let out a content breath, taking off your scarf and even your jacket. You looked up at Ivan, who was taking his time with his drink, and you waited till he began to sip his drink before you spoke again. "So… can we talk now?"

Ivan looked over at you, his eyes hounding in on your own in an attempt to intimidate you. "The boy over there –"

"Gregory is fine," you snorted. "He's my kin, my family, and has every right to know what's going on as I do… and to be honest I don't entirely know everything… yet. So, why aren't you telling anyone about this? Should I even trust you?"

You narrowed your eyes at Ivan, the man setting down his cup and slowly gave you a devious smile. "My dear подсолнух, I've kept vour secrets up to now, да? Vhy must you question if you've already known ven you brought me that your conversations vod turn into useful information?"

"… Are you going to blackmail me?" you pouted, glaring at him while you sipped your drink.

"Авось~ –"

"-insert-your-name-, what does he know –"

"Everything to what you've said to the Russian mob and Nick," you told your brother darkly, a gasp escaping Gregory's mouth while Ivan let out a sudden snort.

"Vat is your involvement with them?" Ivan asked, a snarl escaping your mouth as the two of you fought with only your eyes.

"Why should you care?" You snorted. "Do you hate them or something –"

"They've been bringing boss to the brink of chaos," Ivan shrugged, your eyebrow raising while he swirled the drink in his hand before quickly chugging it down and slamming the cup on the table. "Vhet that doesn't bother me. They've been very beneficial for Russia, but vhy vould thugs want your family –"

"You know I have no idea Ivan," you pouted, sitting back in your chair and looking over at Gregory with a tired look on your face. "… My family left Russia because of our involvement with the mob. My grandparents left for that reason, but not even my mother knows why. We also left because of a curse, a curse that has plagued our family even before this current mafia was started –"

"Sister, don't tell him –"

"And what happens is," you paused, giving Gregory a glance as he looked at you with worried eyes, a sigh escaping your lips while you shook your head. "Is…"

"Vu don't have to tell me –"

"N-no you're a friend. I think I can trust you, think," you gave him a glance, letting a breath escape your mouth as you glared at him with a hint of sadness growing in your eyes. "… The curse is that… every member, bloodline descendents, is plagued with the images of those whom had passed away before us. Every cry, every scream, and every single piece of pain that shot through their bodies as they died is inflicted on us in our dreams… Do you know the movie, A Nightmare on Elm Street?" Seeing Ivan nod you continued. "Well… it's like that. There's a creature in the dream that haunts us, tries to pull us into its world. If we don't wake up it's because we died in the dream. Yet it's not the one doing the killing, it is because we are seeing the death of our own ancestors and in that world the people in the dream grab us and torture us, trying to kill us like them. It is during our weakest moments that the creature grabs us, like for example we had this one ancestor that died because he stumbled onto a lake and fell through the ice. Another was trapped in the middle of a snowdrift in her car and the vehicle wouldn't start, so she froze to death."

"… That –"

"Is hard to believe?" You smirked, your little brother staring at you with worry in his eyes while you continued, "It's true. Don't believe me then fine. The American government does. They nabbed me when I had joined the army for that reason. They wanted to experiment, see if the curse was true. If so then they wanted to control it, figure out a way to use that darkness and magic for themselves. Don't ask me why or how, but it's the only logical explanation. As for my older brother I don't know about him. We went our separate ways when we both left home, around the time my father and older sister died."

"I can see vy you vant to keep everything a secret," Ivan commented, getting up and walking over to the liquor cabinet.

"… Will you –"

"-insert-your-name-," Ivan continued, a smirk on his face as he began to drink a shot of scotch and stare at you deviously, "your secret is safe with me, да?"

You smiled, continuing to drink your hot chocolate till there was nothing left. "Ummm… yes, да –"

"Hey wait now!" Gregory snarled and jumped to his feet, glaring at Ivan as hatred filled the little boy's eyes, "We can't just trust him on words alone! What if he tells? How can you casually~~ tell him all this without taking proper care about this? Сестра, what if he tries to kill us for this –"

"Ahh~, don't trust vour Mother Russia?" Ivan responded with a sly smile, Gregory staring at him confused while you reached out your hand to grasp the little boy's.

"What do you mean Mother Russia~?!" The boy snarled, a smirk coming to your face as you pulled Gregory onto your lap.

"Greg," you sighed and brushed through his hair, a confused look on his face while you smiled at him happily, "there's something I have to tell you about whom I work for and who Ivan is."

"What is it, sis –"

"Ivan Braginski is… Russia," you told him, putting a hand on his lips as you continued, "and I work as the secretary for the personification of America, whose name is Alfred F. Jones."

! #$%^&*()

"So there's a guy named Germany and he has a brother named Gilbert, who's also Eastern Germany and was Prussia?" Gregory stared at you confused, your head nodding while you stood up and let out a sigh. "B-but that still doesn't make sense!" He threw up his hands trying to get your attention again as you went over to the stove to see if the food was ready. "E-even if that was true, that would mean… дедушка and папа specifically told us to stay away from Russians –"

"The Russian mafia Gregory," you rolled your eyes, "because anyone who'd comes into contact with us in America was a Russian, no?"

"… I guess you're right –"

"And Ivan is Russia. The actual Russian Federation. That's the difference," you smirked slyly, beginning to hum while you put the kielbasa on a large plate and set everyone on the stove so they could grab the food. "… Look, I still don't get the whole idea, but you know that recent earthquake in Japan and that one in Texas and between the Mexican border? Yeah, Japan, America, and Mexico all got sick and it took me a week to get Alfred back to his normal, spontaneous self."

"They could have been lying –"

"The man threw up Greg," you chuckled, "and his face was turning pale. It's sort of hard to fake that type of stuff, I know from experience, so after that I figured to put that idea into consideration."

"… T-then why tell this Russia everything –"

"Boy, how about we start eating and then we can talk about this, okay?" You told him, the boy letting an exasperated sigh escape his lips while he jumped out of his chair and walked over to a cabinet, pulling out some plates and utensils. You let the two others get their food as you placed your plate where you were sitting, walking over to the wine cabinet and grabbing a large bottle of vodka and three shot glasses. "… Say Greg your birthday is coming up, right?"

"Right сестра –"

"Good," you smirked happily, setting the glasses down in the middle of the table as well as the bottle and pouring out your own glass and one for your brother. "Want some vodka?"

"Yeah okay," your brother nodded, a slight smile on his face as he sat at his seat and placed his plate down, "b-but this isn't really a special occasion –"

"Hey, with me anything~ is a special occasion," you winked, pouring all the vodka in your cup down your throat before turning back to your brother with a smirk. "Besides I probably won't be home for your birthday. I have to do so traveling before and after Christmas. As much as I'd love to give your gift and everything later, I'll have to do it now, okay?"

"Okay," he grinned happily, waiting for Ivan to sit down before he began to chow down on his food. "When –"

"Oh you'll know~~" you smirked slyly, humming while you poured more vodka into your cup and handed the bottle over to Ivan.

! #$%^&*()

)(*&^%$# !

"Thank you for the dinner подсолнух," Ivan smiled, a chuckle escaping your lips as you watched him open the front door and a cold breeze blew into the house. "Зд `орово."

"I'm glad you liked it," you giggled, a low huff escaping your lips as he turned to walk away, "and ummm… what are you going to say to Zavid –"

"I vas out. He not need to question me," Ivan told you, a worried look on your face while you placed your hand on the door and gave him a weak smile.

"Well… okay then. Good night –"

"Подсолнух, I vill keep your secrets. Don't be so worried, да?" He paused, turning on his heel and walking back up the steps. You stared at him in slight shock, watching at him cautiously while he gently grasped your hands into his gloves and stared at you with a reassuring look in his bright purple eyes. "Подсолнух, я никогда не предам тебя. Вы поверьте мне, да?"

You stared at him and then your eyes slowly softened, though a frown was still on your face as you spoke to him. "А-авось –"

"Ты мне доверяешь, подсолнух?" Ivan asked, his eyes growing tearful by the seconds while you refused to answer him.

"Ah…" You bit down on your bottom lip, unsure of what you should say. Did you really trust him? To be honest you didn't even trust Alfred, not even any of your family members except for Gregory and perhaps Nicholas on occasions. So did you trust Ivan? Did you really? When you felt the grip in your hands loosen you quickly gripped his gloved back, your eyes staring up at him in a plea for him to stay. "I-I uhmm… Ivan, я-я тебе доверяю. I-if I didn't why would I let you come with me even though I knew the subject of my family would be brought up?... I… I don't know what to say, b-but to be honest with you I can't really trust anyone, not even my family. I'm just worried, okay? If something bad happens to Greg I don't know what I'd do –"

"Тише, тише подсолнух. It vill be okay, да?" He smiled to you and you weakly smiled back, but the worry in your eyes overpowered anything else you could do. You sighed and let go of his hand, but now he wasn't letting go and suddenly pulled you closer to him. Before you could protest he pulled you into a tight hug, your face blushing like crazy while random little sounds escaped your mouth in your confused state. "I won't tell Zavid and I won't tell my boss, especially with that man in your basement. I don't like him either подсолнух. You did good, да?"

You chuckled, his grin growing while you started to smile warmly back to him. "Good? Me? That's a first," you snorted.

"Да, зд `орово. Too bad you're vont one vith Mother Russia, да?" If your blush wasn't noticeable it was now, your voice stuttering slightly until you looked down embarrassed and shook your head.

"N-no I, its w-hat I do Ivan. That's all. D-don't make it weird like that –"

"Weird? Vhat's weird? Nothing's veird~ подсолнух," he smirked, his gloves letting go of your hands while he began to walk down the steps again, but kept his head turned towards you in a sly way. "Спокойной ночи -insert-your-name-."

"Y-yes, good night Ivan. See you tomorrow," you waved to him slightly, watching as he walked down the stairs, out the front gate, and disappeared into the city and the light snowfall.

A sigh escaped your lips and you closed the door, rubbing your cheeks in irritation knowing that you were blushing. You had never felt this way since Alex died, but did you honestly want to? No, you didn't. Ivan will end up dead like Alex if he stays close to you, but what can you do? The man wouldn't leave you alone even if you tried. Sighing you locked the door and walked down the hallway, hearing the water running from the kitchen as Gregory walked from the table to the sink washing dishes and wiping the dining table clean. "… You love him like you did with Alexander, don't you?"

You looked over at your little brother confused, but then shook your head and sat down at the table. "Don't say something like that Gregory," you frowned, grabbing the vodka bottle and drinking down the small amount left at the bottom straight from the bottle. "You know how everything is. I'm not going to bring someone into our mess anymore. You know how that goes: first grandmother, then father, and even Maria's fiancé. They all die or will go insane, and I'd rather not hurt another person again… like what happened with Alex."

Gregory frowned, knowing he had crossed a line, but then sighed and shook his head as he started the dishwasher and walked over to you. "That's not your fault –"

"It feels like my fault and I don't like it," you snorted, grumbling while your brother grabbed the bottle from your hand and threw it away in the trash can. "But it doesn't matter now. That curse, it'll increase now that you're here with me."

"It will? –"

"Of course," you shrugged, standing up and brushing random dust from your clothes. "That's probably бабушка plan to keep her beloved Nicolay~ safe. That way the curse will pass on to either you or me… god I hate what she's becoming."

"… I don't like it either -insert-your-name-, but there's nothing we can do about it. What's done is done… let's just go to sleep." Gregory smiled, grasping your hand and pulling you out of the kitchen. The two of you walked side by side up the stairs, a grin plastered on the little boy's face while he pulled you into his current room.

Yet you couldn't help but frown. To have a child, especially your brother, knowing everything and having to hide his pain as you do didn't make you happy. You wish the death threats would stop; you could run away and have a normal life with someone and not have to worry about your family and your stupid curse, but that wasn't possible. You were stuck in a cycle that will continue till each of your blood relatives was dead. That's how it was, only one sibling ever really survived. This time, this generation, you will make sure Gregory is the one who lives. Screw your older brother. He hasn't done anything for Gregory and you. If you died so be it… you just wanted your little brother to stay safe. "Alright брат. I will take the first shift. Go to sleep and I'll wake you up in a few hours, okay?"

"Okay," he nodded, your hand closing the door behind you while your watched your little brother run around the room and change out of his outfit into his pajamas. "… Can you tell me a story, l-like you used to –"

"Of course," you smirked, watching as Gregory jumped into his bed and rustled up the sheets. You chuckled, noticing he had only one lamp on in the room, the one on the lamp stand. "Which story –"

"The Little Star! That one!" your brother giggled, a grin on your face as your movements became softer and you tucked the boy into the bed.

"Okay," you told him, "I'll tell that story:

'Little star lived in space with all the other stars and planets. Most stars were shiny and bright and made patterns in the sky, but try as she might, Little Star couldn't shine as brightly as the other stars.

'One night when the other stars were dancing around the moon Little Star set off to see her friend, Twinkle. Now Twinkle was a wishing star and could make Little Star's wish come true. She wanted to be the brightest star in the universe! But Little Star couldn't find Twinkle anywhere and she started to cry. Would she ever be as bright as the other stars?

'Suddenly she heard a friendly voice calling out, "Little Star, Little Star grab hold of my tail and I'll take you for a ride!" It was Corky the comet. Corky had a long silvery tail and was always rushing through space. Straight away Little Star leaped onto Corky's tail. It was time for an adventure!

'"Where are we going?" Little Star asked Corky. "We're going to visit my old friend Mr. Sun, the biggest and brightest star of all." Little Star was so excited she nearly fell off Corky's tail. As Corky sped through space Little Star could feel the warm glow from Mr. Sun getting closer." We'll fly once around Mr. Sun and then it's back home for tea," bellowed Corky. Little Star couldn't wait.

'As they got nearer Corky heard Little Star shout out, "Hello Mr. Sun."

'Mr. Sun slowly turned around to see who it was. "Well if it isn't my old friend Corky… and who have you brought along to see me today?" he said with a warm and friendly voice. "This," said Corky, "is my new friend Little Star." "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Sun," said Little Star. "I wish I was big and bright like you."

'Mr. Sun chuckled to himself. "It will be a long time before you're as big as me," he said, "But you'll be much brighter sooner than you think," he said, winking at Corky.

'Then Mr. Sun reached out his long shimmering arm and shook hands with Little Star, and as he let go a strange thing happened. Little Star felt all tingly inside, her eyes lit up and suddenly she started to glow brighter and brighter. "Looks like Mr. Sun has cheered you up a bit," said Corky. Little Star gave Corky a big smile then turned around to wave goodbye to Mr. Sun. "Thank you for making me bright and shiny," shouted Little Star. "You always were," said Mr. Sun, "you just had to feel it inside."

'Then with a whoosh from Corky's tail as they shot off through space and before Little Star knew it they were back home just in time for tea.'…"

You smiled, noticing Gregory had fallen asleep. You stood up to your feet and let out a sigh, deciding to walk over to the window and looking outside. Your eyes glistened at the snow falling from the sky, your body stumping beside the window while you gazed outside and watched the snowflakes flutter down from above. "Sweet dreams Gregory," you turned to your little brother, noticing the soft snore he was making as he curled up in his bed, "and I promise you that nothing will harm you, ever, not while I'm here."

)(*&^%$# !

A/N: Well that's it! A little more into the story we go! ;D I hope you enjoyed it. Yes, you tied up Filipp in the interrogation room. Honestly I didn't like the man myself XD but whatever. We'll see what happens next… well I'll see you later then. BYE! =3

авось – Russian – maybe, perhaps

Я никогда не предам тебя – Russian – I will never betray you

Вы поверьте мне – Russian – You trust me

Ты мне доверяешь – Russian – Do you trust me

Я тебе доверяю – Russian – I trust you

тише – Russian – quiet, hush, silence, gently, soft

спокойной ночи – Russian – good night

Bedtime story – "Little Star" by Patrick Smith (found online at )