Twenty-five chapters. Holy shit. This is the longest story I've written so far!

Thanks to mentogum, aka the Lemon Lover, cloveranimefan, DaddysAngel1013, theworldofhetalia, Mimi011, Lilchitraaharris, Phoebe Marx, and Alessa M for reviewing the previous chapter! Means so much to me to know that you have kept with this story for so long. *hugs*

Sorry for taking so long with this chapter!

Enjoy!

Iceland clung tight to the blanket he'd wrapped around himself. He was sitting in his meeting room along with the other Nordics, the Asians, and his boss. It was still too early for the other nations to arrive, but the room was already tense in anticipation. Everyone was nervous about what the others would say...more-so what they would do.

Hong Kong was stressed beyond belief. His boss had called again that morning, angry that his personification had not returned home. On top of that, he was met with a very unkempt China, who explained to him why exactly this meeting was such a big deal. Apparently, there was an old law that nations were not allowed to conceive, and some of the nations were not too happy about it being broken. This news caused even more panic within Hong, but he was still managing to keep his exterior calm and cool. Most of the others in the room thought he wasn't worried...but Norway and Iceland seemed to notice his anxiety just by the way he stood there, shifting his weight every now and then.

Ice, on the other hand, was surprisingly open about his fears. He sunk into his chair and wrapped himself in a blanket for comfort, face flushed with worry. "What if they take it from us? O-or kill it...And what about us? Will we even be able to see each other? What if-"

"Iceland," Norway interrupted, and Ice visibly pouted and sunk half of his face into the blanket, eyes sparkling with emotion. Norge sighed and took the chair beside him, letting Ice lean into his shoulder. He wasn't the best at comforting, but for his brother, he would try.

A bright flash suddenly stunned them both. Their eyes widened a bit, and they turned their heads in the direction of the loud Dane holding a camera. Denmark laughed, trying to lighten the mood. "Come on! You two were being all cuddly. That never happens!" he explained defensively when they both glared at him. He continued to grin and aim the camera at them. Iceland bit his lip in a pout but continued to glare alongside his brother, who looked at the Dane with blank yet hostile eyes. Another flash of the camera, and Denmark laughed again, Finland giggling beside him when he saw the picture. And thus began another Nordic quarrel in which the Norwegian choked the Dane, Finland watched nervously, Iceland argued in embarrassment, and Sweden calmly lectured them all.

By the end of it, the Asians had cast several glances to Hong Kong, silently asking if this was normal. He simply stared back at them and shrugged nonchalantly. He was far too used to this kind of thing to really be bothered anymore. But he was thankful, for it did lighten the mood quite a bit. Maybe a bit too much...because Denmark was now trying to get him to take 'cute' little pictures with them as well.

"Come on, Hong! Just one pic," Denmark begged, waved his camera phone for emphasis. "I'll give you a dollar." He grinned goofily, causing Hong to raise an eyebrow.

"No," the Asian responded shortly.

"Ten?" the Dane asked in a sickeningly-sweet voice.

"No," Hong practically scoffed, shaking his head lightly.

"Fiftyyyy?" Denmark grinned kindly, folding his hands together and batting his eyelashes.

"Nope."

"Fine. A hundred."

"No."

"Seriously?" Denmark was getting a bit frustrated now, much to Hong's amusement. "You're gonna make me go to a thousand?"

Hong's eyebrows raised even higher. "You would really, like, pay that much for a photo?"

"Hey. A picture's worth a thousand words!" he laughed.

The Asian nation only shook his head more, almost laughing himself. "Words, not money," he stated.

"Well money talks!"

Hong Kong blinked at him a few times and paused before replying. "Okay, that was a good one, I guess..."

"So you'll take the picture?" Denmark asked with the excitement of a child.

"No," Hong answered with a smirk and walked away from the now-whining Dane to go sit beside his boyfriend. "It's like I get away from Korea and, like, get stuck with that idiot instead," he joked as he took a seat. Iceland chuckled quietly at that, ignoring Korea and Denmark's shouts of defense.

"There's an idiot in every family," Norway added.

Before either of the 'idiots' could protest, the doors to the room were flung open in a careless manner, causing everyone to jump in surprise and look. A familiar trio of blonds entered the room. England had most likely been followed and annoyed by the other two, judging by his irritated expression. America laughed loudly as he walked toward the table, his voice bouncing off the walls. France followed over to the table and stood beside Iceland, already beginning his string of questions. The Nordics worked quickly to keep the man away from the younger nation, Sweden grabbing him by the back of the shirt and pulling him away while the others circled around Ice in a protective manner. France was one of the nations they had been expecting to 'claim' the unborn baby, since he had always been so keen on taking over young colonies.

The room was soon back to its hectic idiocy, America and France arguing with England over pointless little matters and insulting each other. Hong Kong even joined in on teasing his father, if anything to keep his mind busy. Soon, he found himself lost in telling stories of how he and his uncles (the other British Isles) would mess with England and play pranks. He even included some embarrassing events that had occurred, much to the amusement of the other nations listening in. Even Hong couldn't keep a small smile off his face as he recalled the memories of his time under British rule. China himself kept a small, albeit slightly sad, smile on his face as he watched his younger brother's eyes light up like never before. But everyone remained focused on the stories. Even England ended up sharing some old memories, and others joined in as well, talking about happy things that had happened in the past. It really did lighten the mood for everyone. Iceland had even forgotten his previous nervousness and told stories of his own; of times with the Nordics, times with Hong Kong, and even some funny memories he had from living with Turkey. He and the others were so into the stories that they hadn't even noticed the many other nations piling into the room. They only realized when they heard the deep sound of Germany clearing his throat. Iceland cut off mid-sentence and looked over with wide eyes, along with everyone else who had been previously in the room. Practically all of the nations were in the room now, and they hadn't even been aware of it...

"Those are lots of fun stories, yeah?" a calm and childish voice cut through the silence. Russia stood, smiling at the group. "But Ice, you spent lots of time at my place too, so why no stories with me?" He tilted his head in a rather childish manner, but everyone could sense the little threat behind the action. The Nordics instinctively stepped between Iceland and the other nations, blocking him from their view. Ice wrapped the blanket tighter around himself.

"M-Mister Russia," Latvia intervened with a shaky voice. "U-um, m-maybe you should l-leave him alone? I mean, h-he already has a lot to deal with and- Ah!" He flinched as the Russian's strong hand gripped his head, the man leering down at him with that childish smile of his.

"Perhaps little Latvia would like to share stories, da?" he asked threateningly as his grip tightened on the boy's skull, making him squirm and struggle to get loose.

"Let him go," Iceland demanded coldly. Russia loosened his grip and looked up at him curiously before smiling again and letting go altogether. Ice shrank under his gaze. He was so used to standing up for Latvia that he'd forgotten the position he was in...

The Nordics strengthened their stance when Russia began to approach. They stood protectively in front of their youngest member, ready to fight if they had to. Luckily, the meeting was soon called to order as Germany demanded everyone take their seats before things could get out of control. They all breathed a sigh of relief before gaining back their initial nervousness. England did the honor of explaining the situation. Afterward, the young couple was bombarded with questions; some personal and some serious. It was a bit overwhelming, and they weren't yet sure what to think.

Some nations felt a bit left out. Latvia, for one, was upset that one of his best friends hadn't told him he was pregnant. I mean, the kid loved anything romance, and not knowing that Ice was in a relationship to begin with was kind of upsetting. Then there was Turkey. He and Ice were close, despite the circumstances of their past. The man was like a father to the young Nordic, yet he didn't even know that he'd soon be something of a step-granddad. Seychelles also gave an ear-full to Hong Kong. The two were like brother and sister! And she loved children, too. How could he have kept this from her? Well, she wasn't exactly the best at keeping secrets...but still! Either way, though, she was extremely happy for him and couldn't wait for her little niece or nephew. She was excited, to say the least. Even Canada felt left out, though the feeling wasn't at all new to him. He didn't talk to Iceland as much as he used to, but it was still a bit upsetting. He couldn't really be angry though and ended up wishing Ice luck with the baby. The young Nordic seemed to be the only one that heard, giving a nod of thanks.

And then, of course, there were the countries that simply wanted to know; the main two being Hungary and Poland. They kept asking if they could make cute outfits for the baby. To this, they really didn't receive much of an answer and began pouting and complaining. Along with them were Italy, Spain, and France, who simply gushed over the idea of a newborn baby.

But there were also many nations that weren't too fond of the idea. Arguments filled the room quickly. Most of them seemed to side with the expecting couple...but there was still a good amount of them who were not too pleased. And that's without counting the bosses; many of which had called during the meeting to put in their two cents. They used excuses such as, "Nations have too much work already to be responsible for a child," to which was easily countered by the fact that nations often raised multiple colonies and micronations at a time. Then there was also the fact that "A child could cause war," which was countered by the idea that it's not the child but the other nations that bother with it. And of course, the idea that "If they could have children, then so can other nations" came up. To this...well, there really was no counter. And it could be a problem to have too many of them around. But...at the same time, there weren't many female nations, and the large majority of nations couldn't use magic anyway...so the chance of other nations having children as well was very slim. But still, nations and bosses argued; and fiercely, at that.

But then there was Russia. The giant, sweet-faced teddy bear that continued to stare and smile at Iceland, who slightly shrunk under his gaze. No one else seemed to notice aside from Hong Kong, who was glaring back at the silent Russian. The man's words, cold as ice, cut through the room like a sword. "Why do you not come live with me, little Iceland?" he asked in more of a statement. Norway, standing nearby, immediately stiffened and turned his attention to the large man. The other Nordics followed his gaze, which in turn caused the other nations to look as well. There sat Russia with that creepy smile of his, eyes not leaving the pregnant nation.

"I will not let you go near Iceland, aru!" China yelled.

"Yeah!" Denmark shouted in agreement. Many others joined in, standing up for the young Nordic, who honestly felt amazed to not be overlooked for once, even if the situation was not the best.

"You do not understand," Russia defended himself. "He and the child will become one with me."

"M-Mister Russia!" Latvia yelled, standing between the scary man and his friend. Even if he was shaking like a leaf, he would not let Iceland be put in such danger. "H-He is fine with the Nordics. T-There is no need f-for him to go with you."

"Latviaaa..." the Russian chimed and was about to step forward when someone caught his arm. He looked over to see the former empire, Turkey.

"You lay a hand on them, and you will be on my bad side," the masked man warned in a dark manner. He was upset that Iceland hadn't told him about the pregnancy, but that wouldn't stop him from protecting the boy.

Many other nations joined the Turkish man in threatening Russia and stood by to protect Iceland. From then on, the air of the meeting became very thick and tense. For a while, nobody spoke, for they'd already made it pretty obvious which side they were on by now. There wasn't much use in arguing further. However...even if the nations themselves were alright with the idea of one of their own raising a child, that did not change the opinions of their bosses; most of which were not happy. The room was filled with ringing phones, which was soon replaced with the clashing sound of many nations bickering with said bosses. It was hectic.

Iceland groaned to himself. All of this noise was making his head pound, and no matter how hard he tried to block it out by wrapping the blanket over his head, it would not go away. Why did people have to be so difficult? Couldn't they just let him live his own life already? Why was it such a big deal? He leaned sideways for support, resting his blanketed head on Norway's shoulder. The latter looked over from his conversation on the phone, eyeing the blanket worriedly before telling his boss that he'd call back shortly.

As soon as he'd pocketed his phone, Norway tapped on Ice's head, getting the boy to uncover his face. "You feeling alright?" he asked his brother, who tiredly shook his head and went to cover it with the blanket again. Norge caught his arm and coaxed him up to his feet. As he pushed in their chairs and supported Ice's weight, he tapped Hong Kong on the shoulder, receiving a nod from the younger nation before leaving the room.

It was much quieter once they closed the door, though the bickering voices could still be heard in the hallway. Norway lead his brother further away from the noise, until they were in a nice quiet room down the hall. Luckily, it had a bench that Ice could lay down and relax on for a while. They weren't really needed in the meeting right now anyway. Norge sat down and lifted his brother's head onto his lap, despite the boy's protests. They just sat there for a while in peace. He stroked his fingers through the younger Nordic's silvery hair, easing the boy's stress and letting him relax, despite the awkward position.

"You alright?" he asked Iceland after a while, continuing to stroke the boy's hair.

Iceland mumbled before answering with a small "Yeah" and breathing out a long sigh. He tried to protest the exhaustion that was creeping up upon him, but unfortunately, he lost the battle and closed his eyes, slipping off into a comfortable slumber.

Norway smiled down at Iceland. His little brother really was adorable. But...would he really be alright...?

Erm...hope you liked this chapter. I'm not entirely sure about it, but I hope it's good enough. Denmark's an idiot. And I added a short brotherly moment between Norge and Ice because those two are adorable. x3

Thanks for reading & please review.