A/N: Here's a nice long chapter for you guys! (Actually it's a typical sized chapter for all my other stories, haha XD) The next chapter will be the last!

Earth

"Do we have everything?"

"Artie, what is there to pack? I mean seriously."

"That's no excuse! What about clothes? I don't have a house anymore, Alfred."

"Relax, Arthur. We packed enough clothes for everyone." Kiku came up and placed a hand on Arthur's arm to calm the frenzied man. He was running about making sure everything was ready on the ship, although he couldn't check the machinery. Instead he made it his job to watch the children and make sure that the items they would need for the trip were there. Alfred was mildly amused by it all, remembering how Arthur had acted when he was packing to move to Hetalia. He grinned and captured his mate in his arms, snuggling his face into his neck.

"Chill out, Artie." He kissed Arthur's neck. "Just go sit down and let's go already. The sooner we leave the sooner you get to see Peter, right?" Arthur stiffened in Alfred's hold before nodding. Alfred led Arthur over to a chair next to where Amelia –now appearing to be the tender age of five- sat next to her cousins Zack and Roger –both of who appeared to be nearing six years- and Akane –who looked five as well. Kiku and Nicole took the seats near Akane and Gilbert was doing last minute checks on the ship (being a mechanic) as Matthew buckled up behind Arthur. Finally Alfred and Gilbert took their seats.

Arthur looked at the children. Zack appeared nervous, gripping his seat tightly. Roger looked worried for his brother and held his brother's hand smiling a little. Zack relaxed a little but jumped at every noise as Alfred began flipping switches. Akane looked content like his father always keeping a generally neutral face. His eyes drifted around the ship's cabin, though, interested in everything. Amelia was practically vibrating with excitement. She fidgeted wanting to run about. Matthew, Arthur, and Nicole had a hell of a time trying to catch the bundle of energy as she tried to check out everything. Finally Alfred caught her when she fell and hit a button that had launched a chair out of the ship.

She was scolded severely for that and it added another ten minutes to the preparations as the seat was reattached and Amelia was put in a seat and strapped in. She had cried for a little bit but she was back to her normal self. She didn't try to get out of her seat. She didn't want to get in trouble again.

Alfred grinned widely at his pack. "Is everyone ready?"

"Yeah!" The majority of the pack cheered.

"Try not to crash this time, Al." Gilbert joked.

"Crash!" Zack squeaked, wide-eyed.

"He's just kidding, Zack." Matthew soothed. "That was one time. Your uncle knows better this time," he glared at Alfred, "right?"

"Ahaha, of course!" Alfred quickly turned back around. "Well! Say goodbye to Hetalia guys! We won't see it for a while!"

"Bye, Hetalia!" Amelia squealed happily, waving to the people outside the window as the ship started to rise. Roger gripped his brother's hand tighter. Akane appeared fascinated. This would be the children's first memory of flying. Alfred glanced once at Arthur and smiled. Arthur smiled back, unable to contain all of his own excitement. It had been over a year (three for Peter) since he had seen his younger brother. He wondered how he was doing. He wanted to show Amelia her uncle. He wanted to know what was happening on Earth. So much and yet so little can happen in the span of three years.

Arthur watched as the Hetalian planets began to fade into the distance and when they were small enough that the main planet appeared to be the size of a tennis ball, Alfred said gave the okay to get out of their seats. Three of the children jumped out of their seats and ran for the windows. Zack stayed clutching his seat. Matthew and Gilbert went over to coax him out of it. Nicole and Kiku joined the children as Amelia jumped up and down in excitement, her tail waving back and forth furiously. Arthur unstrapped himself to peer out a different window. There were a number of planets that he could see not far off in the distance. Alfred came up behind him and pointed.

"You see that greenish colored one? That's where Tony lives!" Arthur pulled a face. He remembered meeting Alfred's friend. The alien looked just as Alfred had described, like the aliens that humans imagined all aliens to be. Tony also apparently hated Arthur's guts for no apparent reason. Arthur felt that the feeling was mutual. He sensed that Tony had a type of over-protectiveness of Alfred. And Arthur felt a little jealous of that. He didn't know exactly how long the two had known each other.

"Mummy!" Amelia ran up to Arthur and hopped beside him with the rest of the children following behind (but not hopping and Zack –having finally been coaxed out of his seat- appeared to still be nervous).

"Are we really going to your home planet?" Roger asked.

Arthur nodded and pet his hair a little. "We are."

"What is it like?" Akane asked.

"It's not much different from Hetalia. The inhabitants can't transform, however, and we wear clothing all of the time."

The kids didn't appear happy with that. "But that's only around other people!" Nicole cut in with a smile. "We can undress in the forest when it's just us."

"Yay!" Amelia squealed and hugged Akane in her excitement. Akane turned bright red and ran out of her hold and hid behind his father's legs.

"D-don't just hug me like that!" He told her, hiding his face directly afterwards. His parents gazed at him in surprise before sharing a smile. Arthur gazed at the child in confusion, wondering what was wrong with him.

Soon after that everyone was led to the pod room and the parents persuaded the children into their pods. Arthur joined Alfred in his and tucked his head under his mate's. Alfred kissed Arthur's hair. "G'night, Artie." He murmured as the sleeping gas filtered into the pod and Arthur felt his eyelids droop.

"Good night…"

Arthur awoke as the pod opened and Alfred helped him step out before they went over to the children. They were fine but a little disoriented as they tried to gather their bearings. Alfred left to go back to the pilot's chair as the rest of the pack filed out after him. Arthur felt his heart fill with something –nostalgia? Joy?- as he laid his eyes on the planet Earth. He let out a soft sigh that he felt he had been holding for a long time. Perhaps he had been homesick. But now he was home.

The children marveled at the planet as Alfred called out, "Welcome to planet Earth: Home of the most beautiful man in the universe besides me!" Arthur slapped the back of Alfred's head, blushing a little as Nicole laughed loudly and Amelia giggled, climbing into Alfred's lap to look from the pilot's seat.

"Don't say such things, wanker!" Arthur told him and Matthew gently grabbed Arthur's arm to lead him over to his seat. Alfred buckled his daughter in with him while the rest of the pack buckled up. Arthur was amazed by the reentrance to Earth as the scenery blurred with speed to the point that not even flames appeared. They pierced the atmosphere and before suddenly the ground was beneath them and Alfred straightened the ship so they landed vertically. After a few minutes of Alfred pressing buttons and flipping switches expertly he announced their landing and everyone climbed out of their seats. Arthur barely repressed the urge to run to the door. His daughter did so instead.

"Wait! Before we go out, has everyone gotten all of their vaccines?" Matthew asked.

"Yes." Kiku nodded. "I made sure to double check before we left."

"Okay." Matthew smiled and Arthur took the lead. He took a deep breath and opened the door. The cold of the winter rushed in and he began to gag, coughing. The children joined him and the five of them hacked while the other adults only coughed a little. Arthur was shocked. He felt like he just ate something utterly disgusting and had breathed in smoke. It hurt his lungs some to taste this air. It was disgusting. Had the Earth become overly polluted? Were they near a major city?

He opened his eyes and saw it was the middle of the forest –and he recognized it as the one near his old house. He was thrown, confused. Gilbert patted his back. "Yeah, shocking isn't it? It takes a bit to get used to."

Zack buried his face against his father's clothed thigh. "It stinks, Vati." He murmured. Matthew picked up Roger and held him as the other children tried to cover their noses. Alfred scooped up Amelia and pet the girl, tucking her tail into her pants and placing a large sunhat on her head to cover her ears.

"You'll get used to it. Don't worry." Nicole said, petting Akane's hair as he buried his nose into his father's shoulder as well.

"Did I really live on this planet?" Arthur murmured under his breath as his body quickly began to adjust. He hadn't realized just how clean Hetalia's air was before he arrived here. He lifted his arms and was startled to discover that he felt lighter. He looked at Alfred as the man herded his pack out to start walking. "Alfred, is the gravity different here from Hetalia?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. You noticed?" Arthur nodded.

"The gravity is about two and a half times heavier on Hetalia. How do you think we were able to jump onto houses and stuff?" Gilbert informed him.

"That makes sense." Arthur said. They walked for about half an hour with the children running around in the forest but keeping in the parents' sights. It was then that Arthur's old house came into view and everyone paused. The children marveled at all of the houses, having never seen so many in one place before. There was no such thing as a suburb on Hetalia.

"Do you think he still lives there?" Matthew asked.

"I don't know. I've forgotten his scent." Nicole said.

"It's worth a try." Kiku said. They gathered the children and walked around front. Arthur was nervous as he knocked on the door. After the second one the door was open to reveal a young red-headed woman with bright green eyes. She appeared startled to see such a large crowd on her porch.

"A field trip?" She joked. Arthur was suddenly reminded that his pack all looked much younger than him. It gnawed at him.

"A-ah, no. Excuse us, but we're looking for Peter Kirkland?" He asked.

She appeared a little more confused now and called over her shoulder, "Peter! Some people are here to see you!" Arthur wondered who this woman was.

"Who is it?" He recognized Peter's voice and down the stairs Arthur saw his brother. He was definitely older, but not by much. He looked more mature. Peter's eyes widened upon seeing him. "Jerk Arthur!" He jumped down the stairs and ran to pull Arthur into a quick hug before hugging the others in succession. "You came to visit? You jerk! It's been three years!"

"It can't be helped. You understand the time difference."

"Can we come in?" Matthew asked.

"Yes! Come in!" He and the woman stepped aside and the pack filed in. Peter's eyes widened at seeing the children.

"Ah, um…who are they?" He asked, pointing to the kids, who were gazing at him warily. Amelia was smiling, however.

"You have mummy's eyebrows!" She pointed out tactfully. "Are you uncle?"

"Um…"

"It's a long story." Arthur sighed. "But first, who is this lovely young lady?"

Peter took her hand. "Arthur, this is my wife Martha. We got married a year ago. Martha, this is my brother Arthur and his pack of friends." Martha smiled.

"It's nice to meet you all."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too." The pack chorused and then they looked at each other before laughing.

"Hey Peter, does she know about…you know?" Alfred asked, leaning forward on Arthur.

Peter shook his head as Martha looked at him. "But I suppose she'll have to know considering she's now related to you guys. Do you mind?"

"As long as it's not spread all that much."

"Then let us start our story." Arthur said.

Peter and Martha were stunned by the end of it. Martha was no doubt experiencing culture shock. Arthur sympathized. But Peter was amazed that he had an actual niece of flesh and blood. They talked well into the night and Martha –who was luckily a great cook- made enough for all of them. Peter and Arthur chatted a lot to catch up, feeling their family come back together even if they weren't the closest of brothers. They had missed each other. Arthur told him all about Hetalia and how strange it was and yet so beautiful. He gave Peter a large chunk of the sapphire-like crystal that was useless on Hetalia but he knew would be worth a fortune here. Peter had marveled and taken it.

Peter broke the news to Arthur that their brother had passed on, shocking Arthur. He wasn't just shocked that one of his family members was gone, but also that he felt so detached from the fact. He hadn't talked to his brothers beside Peter in years. And on top of that his life had changed dramatically. Outside of Peter and Francis, he felt no connection to the people here. It was a startling revelation.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay here?" Martha asked again as the pack stepped outside at nearly ten thirty at night. "I can make up room."

"No, it's really alright." Nicole said. "Really."

"We enjoy sleeping outside. But thank you for the offer." Kiku bowed.

"If you say so…" Martha looked unsure.

"We are." Matthew smiled.

"Merci!" The twins echoed each other. "Dinner was good!"

"You're welcome."

"We'll visit again tomorrow." Arthur promised and the pack left into the forest. Alfred tugged a little on Arthur's shirt to catch his attention.

He leaned into his ear. "It's a full moon, Artie. Do you want to…?"

"Yes." Arthur nodded immediately. Alfred quickly dismissed the pack and told them that they would be back before he transformed and he and Arthur ran off to watch the faeries. The two lay together in the grass watching the moon drift across the sky while waiting for midnight to come. Arthur thought about the last time he was here for his very first date with Alfred. Where he first fell in love with this alien from another planet. He turned his head to look at his mate. Alfred's eyes were closed and his glasses were lying on his bare chest. Arthur thought about how young and innocent he looked and recalled that Alfred was much older than he. He also understood, lying here for hours already, that he had much more patience. He wouldn't have been able to handle this silence for this long before.

Alfred's eyes opened then and the moon was reflected in them as he met Arthur's gaze. He smiled –not grinned, but a gentle smile meant for the best and most memorable occasions. Arthur's heart swelled and their hands found each other. He didn't regret losing that bet. He was happy he pushed past his insecurities. He felt proud to be with Alfred. He felt proud that Alfred wanted him despite everything. They weren't even the same species, or different sexes, or close to the same age, and they originally didn't speak the same language because Alfred had to learn English. And yet here they lay with each other.

The fairies came out into the meadow singing a different song than the Waltz of the Moon Arthur had been hoping for, but it had been just as beautiful and it still brought tears to his eyes. He and Alfred got up and danced to it, so much closer than they were the first time. Alfred had his heart and the moment shared between them could never be taken away. He could feel their hearts beating as one. He loved Alfred. That night only renewed the feeling.

The week passed quickly in Arthur's opinion and he was surprised that he only needed to sleep three times in seven days. They visited Francis and updated him and he was with them when they went to the ship to leave. The children had loved the trip but were homesick. They rushed into the ship after their goodbyes and Gilbert and Kiku said goodbye as well before going into the ship. One by one they left until it was just Alfred and Arthur. Alfred stood at the door to the ship, waiting. Arthur stayed staring at his close friend and family. Nothing had changed between Francis and him. They fought almost immediately upon seeing each other, but Arthur felt a relief at seeing him.

He saw something in Francis's eyes and he knew it immediately upon seeing it. It wasn't an unfamiliar emotion to Arthur. Francis was jealous. Subtly so, but it was there. Arthur opened his mouth to speak before he fully thought it through, "Francis, do you want to come with us?"

"What? Moi?" Francis asked, surprised.

"What?" Alfred echoed, shocked. Arthur didn't take back his words, though.

"Is that your decision?" Francis asked Arthur.

Arthur looked at Alfred. "It's not an issue, is it? There's enough room. And he already runs around naked every chance he gets anyway." Francis chuckled in an exasperated manner.

Alfred looked unsure. "B-but Artie…." He trailed off with a slightly angry look. Arthur wondered why he was mad and thought back to what Francis could've done to piss his mate off.

"Do not worry, mi ami, Alfred. I have long gotten over my feelings for Arthur. You won't have to worry." Francis said with a disarming smile. Alfred looked a little relieved. Arthur couldn't believe that Alfred was holding that grudge still.

"Well, I don't really care as long as he doesn't touch any of my pack inappropriately." Alfred said before he waved and went inside of the ship. Arthur turned to Francis.

Francis looked excited. "I'm older now and I have nothing left but to settle down. Perhaps on Hetalia I'll have a better chance? After all, you found a mate even with your eyebrows."

"You frog!" Arthur yelled.

Francis laughed. "I would love to go! Good bye, Peter, Martha!" He said, going into the ship. Arthur spent longer to say goodbye. He wouldn't see Peter for a long time, he knew. He wondered if he would have another nephew from his brother next time.

A/N: Just so you know, the song they danced to this time was "Once Upon A December". I fucking love that song.

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