Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia

Warning: This follows on from the events of the last chapter so the same warning still applies, it may be upsetting and triggering for some.

Otherwise, enjoy~

Chapter 25

"Francis!" Arthur yelled, having run out of the mansion and down the hill, seeing a figure lying on the floor that could only be his precious omega. The dark-haired alpha was hot on Arthur's heels, along with a couple of other members of alpha security who had been alerted as the master of the house rushed through the front door.

Alfred and Matthew were on the other side of the gate still, both in tears and screaming out 'Papa', and the blonde member of alpha security was stood over Francis, looking like he had no idea what to do.

"Francis – " Arthur called again, breathing hard as he reached his omega, but he stopped, his heart plummeting as he saw the blood between Francis' legs. Then he heard the scream of utter agony from him, and instinctively he bent down, trying to pick him up as carefully as he could without hurting him further.

"Somebody send for the doctor!" he yelled out, fighting to be heard over his omega's screams, but when they suddenly melted away, it was even worse.

"Francis, stay awake for me love." Arthur coaxed, seeing his cerulean eyes begin to slip closed. "Stay awake!"

But Francis' eyes closed, and he slipped out of consciousness against Arthur's chest, causing panic to spur the alpha into picking Francis up as if he weighed nothing, turning towards the house.

Hearing sobs from behind him, he glanced back and remembered the two pups on the other side of the gate, and he grimaced.

"Get the pups back inside!" he shouted at the dark-haired security alpha, who nodded and began trying to coax Alfred and Matthew back through the gate, while another one fumbled for the keys to the padlock in order to unlock the gate and retrieve them.

Arthur paid them no more mind, striding back to the house as quickly as he could with Francis, unconscious and bleeding, in his arms. Nanny Smith was at the front door, and she gasped as she saw them, quickly running ahead and preparing Francis' bed for a possible surgery.

Arthur carried his omega up the stairs as carefully as he could, stumbling a little in his panic but managing to regain his footing and carried Francis to his bedroom, carefully lying him on the clear bed and adjusting the pillows behind his head.

His hands were trembling and he didn't hear anything Nanny Smith said to him as they waited for the doctor to come. All he could do was stare at Francis, unable to tear his gaze away from the blood beginning to pool from between his legs onto the soft, white sheet.

"…irkland…"

His omega was so pale, so fragile…it was like he was slipping away again, and Arthur couldn't bear to lose him.

"Mister Kirkland." Nanny Smith repeated, hesitantly placing a hand on his shoulder to try and gain his attention.

Arthur jumped, whirling around and baring his fangs aggressively, having been caught off-guard by the sudden contact. But he stopped as he saw Nanny Smith beside him, and the doctor who had not spared Arthur a greeting, knowing that his attention should be far more focused on the omega on the bed.

"Uh – what should we tell your guests, sir?" Nanny Smith ventured as gently as she could.

"Tell them…the auction is cancelled. Send everybody home." After a moment's thought, he added with a growl. "And send up the two security alphas who have information about what happened." Something about Arthur's tone made the beta nanny accept the response immediately, and she briefly relayed the information to one of the alpha security guards, before assisting the doctor.

The alpha relaxed his defensive posture, his shoulders slumping as he watched Nanny Smith help the doctor. He felt so small and powerless as he watched the two of them tend to his omega, but when the doctor told him to leave the room, he did without question, knowing he would not want to see this.

XxX

"Mister Kirkland." The doctor was standing in front of Arthur, and the alpha hadn't even realised he was staring at the polished shoes on the doctor's feet until the sound of his voice brought him back to reality.

"…Yes?" the alpha asked in a soft voice, blinking owlishly at the doctor before his mind seemed to catch up with his voice, and he sat up straighter. "How is he?"

The doctor gave a weary sigh. "He will be just fine."

Arthur let out the breath he didn't realise he had been holding, feeling tears prick at his emerald eyes in utter relief as he stood up. "Can I see him?"

The doctor nodded, but he grasped Arthur's arm before the alpha could pass him. "Sir, the pups…"

Arthur stopped, looking back at the doctor. He already knew what he was going to say – he had received this news before – but this time he felt his heart break, for himself and for Francis.

"The pups were already dead by the time we got them out." The doctor explained, forever lacking in bedside manner as he told Arthur bluntly.

The alpha said nothing, only shrugging his hand off his arm before walking into Francis' bedroom, almost as if he was in a daze. He saw Nanny Smith carrying two small bundles of sheets in his peripheral vision, but he did not let himself dwell on it.

They were just sheets…

Instead he focused on Francis, who was still unconscious, covered up with a clean sheet up until his shoulders. He wasn't wearing the tunic anymore; Arthur assumed Nanny Smith had dressed him in a clean tunic. He looked rather pallid and pale, and Arthur knew he would have lost a lot of blood. His emerald gaze trailed down to the still prominent bump of Francis' belly under the sheet, and his breath hitched.

How was he going to tell Francis?

A firm knocking at the door made Arthur raise his head, and he barely bit back a growl as the dark-haired alpha and the blonde alpha entered the room.

"You…said you wanted to see us, sir." The dark-haired alpha explained by way of greeting, whilst the blonde one nodded in agreement.

Arthur felt almost angry at the presence of two alphas who were now able to see his Francis so fragile and vulnerable, and he stood, torn between wanting to stay by Francis' side and wanting to shield him from outside eyes.

Settling for standing protectively over his omega, Arthur glared at the two alphas.

He addressed the dark-haired alpha first, a bite to his tone. "You – what do you know about what happened last night? You were supposed to be guarding the front door."

The addressed alpha stepped forward, suddenly seeming nervous as he glanced at the sleeping omega briefly, before lowering his gaze to the floor. "I – He, um…he seemed very distressed, so I went to get him something to eat and drink to…uh...calm him down."

Arthur frowned. "And when you came back, he had managed to unlock the front door and leave with two pups."

The dark-haired alpha nodded slowly. "I-I guess, sir."

"How did he get the key?" Arthur interrogated, his hard stare boring into the alpha mercilessly.

The alpha hesitated, not wanting to tell Arthur that his omega had been flirting with him, and that he had been really enjoying it. "I…must have left the door unlocked accidentally…" he lied, hoping it would be convincing.

Arthur stared hard at him, his expression unreadable. "Do you have any more information to share?"

"No, sir." The dark-haired alpha conceded, not daring to look Arthur in the eyes.

"Go back to your duties, then." Arthur dismissed him, and the dark-haired alpha turned, leaving the room quickly before the temperamental English alpha could change his mind.

The blonde security alpha still remained, staying silent until Arthur addressed him.

"And what about you? You were there before the rest of us got there. How did he – " Arthur faltered, taking a shaky breath as he looked back at Francis, taking his hand a moment and caressing his knuckles gently with his thumb.

The blonde alpha knew what Arthur was trying to ask, and he knew that if he admitted to causing Francis' fall he would be ripped to shreds. "He fell, sir. He tried to climb the trellis and get over the wall, but…it was frosty and he slipped and fell."

Arthur squeezed Francis' hand ever so slightly, before letting out a low growl. "And why did you just stand there and watch as he screamed in pain?"

The blonde alpha met Arthur's gaze briefly, before returning his gaze to the floor. "I-I didn't know what to do. It all happened so fast…"

Arthur seemed less than amused at his response, but he only turned his back to the other alpha, returning his attention to Francis.

"Get out." He said simply, hearing the other alpha leave the room, closing the door respectfully behind him.

As soon as the alpha was alone, he heaved a shaky sigh, close to tears as he sat back down beside Francis, gently stroking his soft, blonde hair away from his face.

He felt sick to his stomach, wanting Francis to wake up so badly, but knowing that when he did, Arthur was going to have to tell him that they lost the pups.

XxX

Francis slowly became aware of the feeling of someone's thumb rubbing over his knuckles, and Arthur's scent enveloped him comfortingly. He slowly dragged his eyes open, not yet aware of what had happened, as the doctor had given him a sedative so he wouldn't be in too much pain.

Arthur saw him open his eyes, and he gave a small, wobbly smile of relief, leaning over and kissing the omega's forehead.

"…Art…'ur…?" Francis croaked, still rather groggy but he gave a small, sleepy smile as he felt Arthur's lips touch his forehead so affectionately.

"How are you feeling, darling?" Arthur spoke softly, realising Francis was still somewhat sedated so he kept his words slow and calm, gently stroking his hair soothingly.

Francis gave a soft hum, clearly not yet aware of what had happened and he shifted slightly under the covers, pausing though as his body felt…strange. He felt numb and he instinctively went to put a hand on his belly, but his hand was gently caught by Arthur.

He looked up at him in confusion, but the heartbroken expression on his alpha's face made Francis feel suddenly like something was very wrong. "…What happened…?" he asked softly, slowly beginning to remember trying to escape with his pups. But now he was back in his bedroom – and he couldn't remember how he had gotten here.

Arthur felt his heart wrench at the question, and he took both of Francis' hands in his, taking a moment to figure out how he was going to say this. "You…were trying to run away with Alfred and Matthew…" he began, knowing he should be angry with him for it, but he couldn't be mad at Francis for that now. Not when it no longer mattered compared to what happened.

Francis' gorgeous blue eyes were watching Arthur intently, now seeming to have sobered up considerably as he waited for Arthur to explain what happened.

Arthur continued slowly, finding it hard to look at the omega's beautiful blue eyes because he didn't want to see the moment that the inevitable heartbreak reflected in those orbs. "A-And…the gate was locked so you…climbed the trellis…"

Francis' eyes widened as he remembered climbing the trellis, then strong hands grabbed him and made him fall on his back…and then…blood…

His face lost what little colour it had as he began to tremble. "A-Arthur…the p-pups…?"

Arthur couldn't quite face the question yet, and so he feigned ignorance over what Francis meant. "Alfred and Matthew are fine…they're in the nursery – Nanny Smith has been looking after them…"

But Francis' eyes searched for the missing information, and Arthur sighed shakily, trying to put it as gently as he could.

"I…I'm sorry, love. They didn't make it…I'm so sorry…" his voice cracked as he finally told him, and the omega stared at him blankly for a moment, as if he just didn't understand.

But all too soon it sank in, and Francis' hands trembled in Arthur's hold as he realised he had lost his pups.

Arthur was afraid Francis was going to shut down again like he did when Alfred and Matthew were taken away, but the omega let out a small, strangled sob, before taking his hands away from Arthur's to begin lifting the sheet that covered his body.

"Francis…" Arthur began, wanting to stop him, but the omega did not heed his warning, carefully lifting up his clean, white tunic and letting out a heartbroken gasp as he saw the ugly scar across his abdomen, signalling that the pups that he had been talking to only the day before were now gone.

Francis' scent of distress was palpable, filling the room even before he began to whimper and whine, not knowing how to cope with the shock and devastation of losing his pups. Arthur carefully wrapped his arms around him, allowing the omega to burst into tears of utter grief and heartbreak as he had no idea how to process the fact that the pups he had felt so connected to were suddenly just – gone.

Arthur had no idea how to console him, also crying as he pressed his lips to Francis' hair, just whispering how sorry he was over and over, not knowing what else to say.

XxX

Hours passed, and Francis had cried until he had no tears left. Arthur lay in the bed next to him, cradling him close as if Francis might fall apart if Arthur didn't hold him together. Honestly, that might have been the case.

Now, Francis had his head on Arthur's chest, cuddled into him as they laid together in silence. Slowly, Arthur decided to approach a careful conversation, playing with Francis' hair as he wanted to get to the bottom of how this happened.

"Darling…" he murmured softly, his lips pressed lightly against Francis' hair as he heard a tired hum in response, granting him permission to continue, but Arthur had to be careful how he approached this. He knew Francis was deeply grieving and he didn't want to make it worse by asking him to relive what happened, but he had to know the truth.

"Can I ask you about what happened?" the alpha asked as carefully as he could, sensing hesitation from the omega cuddled against his chest, but slowly Francis gave a little nod, tucking his head under Arthur's chin for protection.

Trying to be as attentive as possible to Francis' mood, Arthur thought about how he had interrogated the two security alphas earlier. "I…asked two security alphas that were involved…one of them said he accidentally left the front door unlocked. Is that true?"

Francis thought back to the escape, remembering how he had flirted with the dark-haired alpha to get the key. He didn't want the alpha to lose his job if he lied, and besides, he could never really lie to Arthur.

"Non…I flirted with him and stole the key." The omega mumbled, now feeling rather guilty that he had done such a thing, and from the way that Arthur's arms wound around him possessively Francis could tell that Arthur wasn't happy.

The alpha wasn't angry with Francis, but he did feel a surge of jealousy as his omega told him how he got the key, carefully holding him closer and pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. "Did it…mean anything?"

"Of course not." Francis almost whined, nuzzling against Arthur's chest more. "I needed to save my pups…"

Arthur's expression softened, and he relaxed his posture as he could tell that Francis was being honest. He couldn't deny he felt very sour towards the dark-haired alpha now, but he wasn't going to fire him, understanding that the alpha was only a part of Francis' escape plan.

But there was still the other alpha to ask him about.

"There was also a blonde alpha – he was the first to get there when you fell…" Arthur began, but he was shocked as Francis suddenly tensed, an unmistakable rage giving a bite to his tone.

"I didn't fall."

Arthur blinked, furrowing his brows gently. "What do you mean, love?"

Francis didn't want to relive it, but he could remember the distinct feeling of two strong hands roughly grabbing him and wrenching him off the trellis, causing him to land on his back.

He let out a shaky, wobbly sigh as he clung to Arthur. "…He grabbed me…He grabbed me and pulled me off the trellis. He made me fall…"

If Francis had any tears left, he would have burst into tears, but all he could do was let out a pitiful whimper, cuddling Arthur closer and trembling.

Arthur had not said anything, but Francis suddenly picked up on the strong scent of aggression from his alpha, and he raised his head to see Arthur glaring at the ceiling, his body tense.

Francis realised that Arthur was capable of tearing that blonde alpha apart, so he tried to calm him. "Arthur…-"

But the alpha was already sitting up, being careful to move Francis off him before getting out of the bed. "Stay here, love. I'll be back soon."

His tone was drowning in rage, more of a growl than a voice, and Francis let out a whine. "Arthur…"

Arthur pressed a quick kiss to Francis' forehead, before leaving the bedroom, only one goal on his mind right now. He was going to tear that alpha apart.

Francis yelled after him, trying to sit up but a sharp pain reminded him that he still needed to recover. Reluctantly, he sank back down under the covers, hoping Arthur didn't do something he would regret.

XxX

Arthur found the blonde security alpha by the front door, and he did not break his stride, charging straight at him and grabbing his collar, shoving him against the door and baring his fangs, enjoying the look of stunned shock that rendered the alpha motionless.

"I'm going to tear you apart, you bastard!" Arthur growled, his emerald eyes dark with a fiery temper.

"I-I didn't do anything!" the blonde alpha almost squeaked, very intimidated by his angered employer.

"Oh, you've done plenty. You made my omega fall! You killed our pups!" Arthur couldn't control his temper, slamming the alpha's back against the door so hard that the door splintered and groaned on its hinges.

"I swear I didn't mean to!" The alpha pleaded, trying to placate the English alpha, but it only made him more enraged.

He wanted nothing more than to see this alpha's blood all over the walls, but he thought of Francis, and he knew Francis got afraid of very angry and aggressive alphas. He didn't want his omega to be afraid of him.

He released his grip on the alpha, clenching his fists at his side. "Get the fuck out of my house. You're fired – and if I ever see you again, I'll kill you!"

The blonde alpha wasted no time heeding Arthur's words, and he hauled open the front door, fleeing the mansion before Arthur changed his mind and decided to tear him apart instead.

Arthur watched him go, slamming the front door behind him, before slamming his fist against the wood, hearing it splinter again. He tried to compose himself, but the thought of his beautiful omega upstairs, bed-ridden and in deep mourning, and the thought of losing their unborn pups, was too much to bear.

Letting out a scream of animalistic rage, Arthur attacked the front hall, sweeping the vase off the table and hearing it smash on the floor.

Francis' screams and the sight of blood between his legs filled his head, and Arthur threw the table across the hall, watching it shatter against the stairs.

The strong scent of aggression radiated off him as he tore paintings down from the walls, punching the front door over and over until the wood snapped and the door broke completely.

Francis could hear Arthur scream and he could hear things breaking downstairs, but he just closed his eyes, knowing that Arthur was grieving as much as he was. He curled into the covers, hoping Arthur would come back once he had calmed down.

Arthur wrenched the remainder of the front door open, stomping outside and letting out another scream of rage as he glared up at the night sky. It was a beautiful night; the stars shone brightly and the air was quiet.

Arthur took several deep breaths, slowly calming down and letting the anger seep into the night and out of him. He felt guilty about the destruction he had caused, but he had needed to let his grief out. Now the anger was gone, the alpha broke down in tears, sitting down on the front steps and holding his head in his hands.

Everything had been perfect before the auction, and now he felt like that one night had turned everything around.

He needed to be strong for Francis, but it was so hard to see the sadness on his omega's eyes'; it broke his heart every time.

A/N: So Arthur is grieving just as much as Francis is, he just has a different way of showing it. And Francis has lost his pups…

How do you think they will continue from here? Is Francis going to shut down again? Is Arthur going to lose his temper more? And what about Adel and the cancelled auction? Is Matthew safe?

Please review and let me know!

Love you all x