A/N: Thank you all for tuning into this story! I'm hoping that you all will enjoy it!

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Arthur laid on his bed as he flipped through The Very Best Things About Alfred. He would be departing in the morning to meet a girl named Natalia Arlovskaya. Her name sounded vaguely familiar to him, almost as if Alfred had mentioned her before. She couldn't have been all too important, though, considering that Arthur couldn't remember her. It made him wonder how important she was to Alfred, considering that she had a better idea of where he was than his own mother did. Was she his girlfriend?

He set the book aside and stared up at his ceiling. Was he really going to spend the entirety of his last month in America trying to track down someone who might not even want to see him once found? Was he truly prepared for something so utterly insane? What would Alfred think after not seeing or talking to him for years? Would Alfred refuse to see him in the end? There was only one way to find out. After all, the worst thing that would happen would be getting sent away by Alfred. At least he'd get an adventure out of his last month home. Arthur might as well make it count.

His mind swam with thoughts of what the next day would bring. Anxieties mixed their way in the more he thought about it. What if he forgot to bring something important? What if he got lost? What if his car broke down? What if he got into an accident? The possibilities of things that could go wrong were endless. But he knew he would back out of the entire trip if he kept thinking that way.

Alice Kirkland poked her head into her son's bedroom. "What are you still doing awake, love?" she asked. "Aren't you leaving for your trip in the morning? It's nearly midnight. You're not having second thoughts, are you?"

Arthur lazily turned his head to look at his mother. "Of course not," he assured her. "I'm just a bit nervous, you know? What if I finally find Al and he decides that he doesn't want to see me?"

"Then you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you tried," she answered, walking into his room and sitting on the edge of his bed. Her fingers ruffled her son's messy, blond hair. "I doubt he'd do that, though. You two had a special bond. Who knows; maybe he's wanting to find you too?"

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Sixth Grade

"It doesn't seem real that you're moving in a month," Alfred Jones sighed as he sat on his best friend's bed. "It's going to be really weird without you around anymore. Like, who am I supposed to hang out with? I don't want to deal with the annoying people in class by myself, Arthur. Your sarcasm is what keeps me alive."

"Unfortunately, you may have to find another life force, Al," Arthur replied, forcing himself to smile. Just that small act of forcing a smile made him nauseous. He wished that he could just stay behind in the town and live with Alfred or something, but he knew his mother wouldn't hear of it. "This really blows."

"You can say that again," the bespectacled boy grumbled. He was silent for a moment before nearly pouncing on Arthur. "I've got it! I'm not going to let you forget me! Let's make something that we can always keep with us, and we can use to to make sure we always remember each other! What do you think?"

"Sounds like a hassle," Arthur sighed. Yet the moment he saw the half-defeated look on his best friend's face, he gave in. "Sure, why not? What should we make?"

Alfred, being a fan of comic books, perked up quite a bit. "Hear me out, but I think we should each buy a notebook and fill it with our favorite things about each other! What do you think? It'll be filled with the very best things about us! I'll make one about you, and you can make one about me! We can put pictures and quotes and stuff in it! It'll be like you're still here even when you're gone…" His voice trailed off at the end of the sentence, having yet to accept the reality of it all. He shook his head to expel the thoughts that seemed to be swarming it. "Something like that would be nice to have, you know?" he quickly covered.

The other boy thought about it for a moment. "You know, that doesn't sound like too bad of an idea. And it's even something we can keep adding to once we're apart. I like it."

"You do?" Alfred excitedly asked. He quickly covered it up with a gruff, "Well, I mean, of course you do. It's a good idea after all."

"Though I haven't said it yet, I'm really going to miss you, Al. It'll be weird going to a new middle school without you. I don't know how I'm going to manage, but I'll try my best. And when I get my first cell phone, I'll be sure to give you the number to it." Arthur could feel the tears forming in his eyes. "We can still call each other all the time. It'll be like we're still together, you know? I mean, that could work, couldn't it?"

"Yeah," the other boy quickly replied, feeling his own tears forming. "I mean, if we think about it like that, it'll be like you never even left. This could work, right?" He quickly looked away from Arthur. "What do you say we get started on the notebooks? After all, it's not like we have much longer to work on them together."

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Present Day

Arthur's eyes flicked open at the sound of his alarm clock. He quickly turned it off and yawned, stretching. What a strange dream to have right before leaving to find Alfred. Why would he dream about those damned notebooks? Was it because he was looking at his before falling asleep? That had to be it.

He sat up in bed and found The Very Best Things About Alfred on his bedside table. Before he could forget, he tucked it into his travel backpack that he planned to put in the passenger's seat of his car. He wanted to keep it with him at all times so he could show Alfred that he never forgot about him or their friendship.

"Good morning, love," Alice greeted when her son walked into the kitchen. "Today is the big day. Are you ready?" She smiled at him from the table, a cup of hot tea in front of her as she relaxed in her robe and nightgown. "I think this trip will be good for you two. I hope you and Alfie can make up. I remember how hard it was for you when the two of you stopped talking. You would always stop yourself in the middle dialing his phone number." Her smile grew wider. "I'm so proud of you for wanting to go and fix things before you leave. I really did raise a wonderful young man, didn't I?"

Arthur could feel the blush darkening his cheeks. "Oh, come on, Mum," he sighed. "I'm trying to keep from getting too sentimental on the first day. Please try to help me out with that."

Alice chuckled to herself. "You're always so serious, Arthur," she fondly stated. "Just like your father." Her laughter filled the kitchen. "He should be awake soon anyway. I know he'd like to see you off."

"It's not like I'm leaving just yet," Arthur said, placing a slice of bread in the toaster. "Mum, is it okay that I'm nervous? I honestly feel like backing out from all of this, but I know it wouldn't be right, especially if Alfred has already gotten wind of my plan. It's just hard. If I'm honest, I don't know how I'm going to take it if he decides not to see me. It sounds stupid, but Alfred is the one person I wouldn't be able to bear being rejected by."

"You're so strong, Arthur," his mother stated. "When we moved here, you didn't even openly complain once. You were always so helpful when we needed you. I never saw you cry or get upset over the fact that we forced you to leave everything behind to come with us. If you're still just as strong, then finding Alfred will be a piece of cake. I know that if you're still just as strong as you were when we moved, then you'll get through to Alfie and it'll be as if nothing had ever happened." She beckoned her son over and kissed the top of his head. "I guess it's just me who will have to be strong this time. I'll miss you while you're gone. Please remember to call and check in."

"Of course I will," he replied, as if his mother's worries were preposterous. "You know, I suddenly feel as if everything is going to be okay."

"Your father will be helping keep an eye on your bank account, but please call us if there are any extra expenses that will need instant covering. We won't let you go broke. After all, this is the first time you have ever asked us for anything that wasn't a necessity. We are glad to fund the entire trip. All we ask is that you have fun and keep in touch."

"Of course, Mum."

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Nearly six hours later, Arthur pulled up outside of a duplex in a town four hours from his own. He took a deep breath and checked his appearance in his rearview mirror. Having no knowledge of the kind of person he was meeting up with was, he mentally prepared himself and got out of his car, quickly locking it behind him.

Slinging his travel backpack over his shoulder, he walked up to the door listed as "Arlovskaya" and knocked. His heart pounded in his chest and he desperately tried to calm it before the door was answered.

Moments later, the front door swung open and a steely pair of blue eyes stared at him through the storm door. The girl they belonged to didn't look as if smiling was her favorite activity. She kept a straight face as she tied her hair up in a bow without breaking eye contact.

Arthur finally found his voice. "Erm, hello. My name is Arthur Kirkland. I'm looking for a woman by the name of Natalia Arlovskaya. Would you happen to be her?"

"I am," she stated, expression never changing. "I've been expecting you. Please come in and make yourself comfortable. This might take awhile, so I'm sorry in advance." Her tone sounded disinterested, but her words told him otherwise. Perhaps she struggled with expressing her true feelings about things. She let Arthur in and led him to an immaculately clean living room. "Could I get you something to drink?"

"Ah, no thank you," he answered, slowly sitting down on the couch. "I'm good for now." He chose his words carefully. "Alfred's mother told me to come to this address and speak with you if I want to find him. What did that mean?"

"Well, what I tell you depends on how determined you are in finding him," Natalia coolly replied. "I've heard what he really thinks of you, and I'm wondering how much of the truth you would be able to handle. I want to hear you tell me with your own voice, are you really committed to finding Alfred after all this time? It's been three years since you two dropped all contact. Why are you wanting to find him now, of all times? What reason is so important that you need to find him before you leave?"

"Alfred was my best friend," Arthur slowly began. "Our falling out was rather difficult on me. It was the worst thing to ever happen to me other than moving. In about a month, I will be leaving the country to study abroad. I want to make up with him before leaving."

Natalia seemed to weigh it all in her head for a moment before responding. "That sounds like reason enough. I'll tell you what all I know."

The young man on the couch gulped. Where in the world was this all going?