Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia: Axis Powers, Teen Wolf: The Series or Twilight.

Chapter 12: The Eldest Brother and The Youngest Brother- An Interlude

Lovino was surprised to have been arrested as soon as he stepped foot in El Paso. They had been waiting for him. Now he was sitting in a cold, slightly damp, cobblestone walled cell. His back was against the wall adjacent to the bars.

He was allowed to make one phone call, and he begrudgingly called his home. His father had picked up, telling him that Feli wouldn't have gotten arrested, and that he was once again a stain on their family name. He said he returned the coach, having to explain that it had not been in his yard all of that time, once again throwing the blame on his fugitive son. After all of that yelling, his father said he would have to go to the bank to withdraw some funds to bail him out before hanging up the phone with a loud slam onto its hook.

As long as his grandfather didn't get wind of the situation, his pride would still be intact. He didn't care too much about his father believing he was a disgrace anymore because despite his odds, he made two new friends, and survived in the unsurvivable wilderness for a month without perishing to the werewolves or vampires. As far as Lovino was concerned, Antonio would be proud of him and that's all that really mattered.

That and Blondie said that his family gave him shit too. Even being a magical creature does not stop your parents from thinking you are a fucking failure, so he shouldn't be so hard on himself.

Later that night Lovino was released after his father paid the bail money. "I am so furious with you right now. You're working on the farm with me until your hands fall off! I don't want to hear a complaint from you about anything I ask you to do!"

Lovino rolled his eyes, "Fine, I won't complain."

"You never respected me! Where did I go wrong with raising you, huh? Your brothers, perfect little angels but you, you continuously like to make me look bad."

Lovino let him continue to vent out his frustrations as they walked back to their home, not even listening until his father said, "And you just had to come back when Papa was home. If you'd just stayed gone I could have just pretended you went off to make something of yourself. But no, he gets to see first hand how much of an embarrassment you are."

"G-grandpa Romulus is at home?" Lovino felt his heart drop to his stomach.

"He dropped into town when he got wind of your travels. How he found out, I'll never know. He doesn't even stop when he drops off Feli, but now he just has to stay…the man feasts off my misery I know."

Damnit, now his Grandpa and his brother will be there to judge him.

When they step through their home they are greeted to the sight of his mother, Grandpa Romulus, Stefano, and Feliciano all sitting around the dinner table. A large slab of meat was at the head towards Grandpa Romulus, it looked unfamiliar to him. The beans, corn and yams they were going to eat along with it made his stomach growl.

His Grandpa Romulus was a shorter man, all of the Vargas men were on the shorter side. Blondie was probably taller than his grandpa. He was a brunet, with crows feet, and auburn eyes. As part of his attire he was wearing white robes and carrying his mitre in his right arm. He grinned as he met Lovino's eyes.

"Lovino my boy, I've brought something special to celebrate you finally having the courage to stand up to your old man and make something of yourself on your own."

And with that he patted the seat next to him.

Lovino was stunned, his mouth agape, although he did go sit next to his grandpa. Grandpa said a prayer over the food and soon they started to eat.

"Lovino, I'm proud of you."

"B-but Grandpa I was arrested for stealing a coach and I lost my job."

"Tiny details. I want to hear about your travels, and after we finish eating I have a job I want to propose to you." Grandpa patted Lovino's shoulder.

"Papa, I need his help around the farm." His father was at the other head of the table. Mama was on the right side of him, Stefano on the left.

"Barbaro, it's always about that damned farm. You've managed before, you can manage now." Grandpa waved him off.

"But Papa! He needs discipline!" Papa said, banging his fist on the table. "How are you just going to let him step over my authority?"

"Because you want to keep him trapped here! Just because you don't want to grow doesn't mean you should deprive your son of doing so!"

"I'm not depriving him of anything! He's not going to amount to anything anyway! Why give him false hope, huh?"

"Barbaro stop this nonsense!"

"It's true! He's just like me! You never believed in me, so why should you believe in him?"

"Barbaro, I never said I didn't believe in you."Grandpa's voice was more concerned than upset.

"You didn't have to say it." To which Papa got up and angrily left out the front door. It closed with a loud slam.

They finished eating and Mama gathered the plates to go into the kitchen to wash the dishes and called Stefano to help her. There was a loud crash before she furiously apologized in Italian for dropping a plate and breaking it. Grandpa told her not to worry.

Feli had been silent at dinner but kept grinning at him every so often. The little bastard was always so condescending.

"My boy, you went out into the woods with those werewolves?"

Lovino blinked before he nodded, unsure if he trusted his voice yet.

"Well that's just fantastic!"

"H-how did you–?"

"I've been around a long time and when that is the case, you start to notice things."

"So you knew about Antonio?"

Grandpa nodded, "He wasn't exactly hiding it either." He said with a chuckle.

Lovino was confused, Blondie said the supernatural were a secret, but here his grandpa and apparently Feli knew about them.

"Well, Lovino, I came to ask for a favor. A wealthy associate of mine is in the business of managing the deliveries of werewolf meat. Since Antonio is no longer with us, would you be willing to make sure these deliveries are carried out?"

"As a guard?"

"Yes! You know how tricky it is going through the woods at night. Mister Lisboa-Carriado would be able to give you more details."

Lovino knew that name belonged to Antonio's brother, who he didn't get along with. Sure Antonio's brother never talked to him, but Antonio acted uncomfortable when he was brought up. So Lovino didn't like him.

But his grandpa thought he was the perfect man for the job. He couldn't let him down.

"Fine. I'll take the job. Are the wages good?" Lovino crossed his arms.

"Oh of course! This job pays well." He drinks the last of his cup of wine. "It's good to hear you'll be taking the job. I will let Mister Lisboa-Carriado know."

"So werewolf meat, people eat that?"

"Those who can afford it. It is a rare delicacy as it is hard to obtain. But I got a portion for you all tonight, how did it taste?"

It was harder to cut through, and somehow it had a lot of flavor, despite the strange texture. Lovino wondered how it was possible the meat retained its wolf features and not its human ones. He decided not to think about that.

"It was the same as any beef or pork." Lovino shrugged.

"I liked it very much Grandpa!" Feli said in the annoying high pitched voice that he did to make himself more likeable. Lovino knew his voice was deeper, but Feliciano always made it higher when he kissed ass.

"Oh Feli, you've always had a taste for finer foods." Grandpa ruffled Feli's hair.

"Lovi, is it true you were traveling with a pretty young maiden? Are you planning to court her?" Feli asked him.

"Stai zitto, fratello!"

"You will have to tell us more about your trip, Lovino." Grandpa smirked, there was something mischievous in his smile.

But then his Papa reentered the house at that moment and ordered Lovino to his room for the night. He was grateful for once for the excuse to leave.

It was short lived however when Feliciano had to share his room. The boy kept pestering him until he snapped and told him to be quiet and go to sleep. Feliciano did listen to him and snuggled against him, much to his chagrin.

0000000

Arthur arrived at what looked to be the remains of his childhood home. It had been burned, half the house unlivable. Apparently their side of town received the bulk of the fire damage. Arthur walked over to a neighbor's home that was still intact, Dr. Beilschmidt. He knocked on his door, and after a few moments the greying, blond haired man opened the door.

He frowned, although his gaze was skeptical, "Arthur?"

Arthur nodded, "I see my family isn't in their home anymore. Do you happen to know where they've relocated to?"

Dr. Beilschmidt let out a grunt of disapproval, "I know you are going to be in a lot of trouble young man when you arrive. Your mother was worried sick."

Arthur frowned, "I know."

"Your father should be more firm with you. You wouldn't be inclined to do such things. My boy, Ludwig, is as obedient as they come."

His other son, Constable Beilschmidt was another matter.

"Yes, spare the rod, spoil the child as they say." Arthur gives him a strained smile, knowing the man's tendency to give lectures.

"That's right. Now go home young man. They're down on the other side of town where the recently widowed Misses Kirkland lives. You know where that is?"

"Yes I do. Thank you sir." Arthur gave him a bow in parting and the doctor shut the door.

Arthur groaned but made his way towards the house anyway.

Arthur climbed through the window of the home that Connor used to live in. He used his night vision to make his way toward the hallway of a guest room, only to stop as someone was coming out, their oil lamp brightening the rest of the hallway. Arthur had assumed it was his father, but when he met the eyes of the person, his heart dropped into his stomach.

"Alistair." His elder brother's name fell from his lips.

"Artie? So, you decided to show your face."

Alistair had moved out 5 years ago, he had a wife and two children, the eldest about 5 years old. The other was a toddler. He lived and worked as a mail carrier in the Midwest.

Alistair was the tallest, and didn't look like he was a part of the family with his lack of blonde or red hair, and freckles. Although, he had thick eyebrows and green eyes like the rest of the family. He was a brunet with a constantly aggravated expression on his face, well except when he was looking at anyone besides Arthur.

He and Alistair never got along, and he remembered in his younger years Alistair was the leader when it came to pushing him around. Connor only filled Alistair's role when he left, albeit less harsh and more mischievous.

"Well I–."

"How dare you! You leave for a month without a word to anyone. You missed Connor's funeral! You went off with one of the young maidens. What could you possibly have to say for yourself?"

"You wouldn't understand. Connor would have wanted me to."

Alistair approached him, now right in front of his face, before he gripped his arm.

"What inane things are you saying? Connor would have wanted you to abandon our family? You know father got caught in the fire that burned half the town and is at hospital?"

"I didn't know that." Arthur felt immeasurable guilt at leaving the town defenseless and allowing something like this to happen. But Alistair wouldn't understand so he wasn't going to bother telling him.

"Brother, you caused Mother and I so much anguish. I've had to stay with her for weeks until she pulled herself together. She would lash out at poor Miss Braginsky, and I'd have to calm her down. You couldn't have at least written a letter?"

Alistair looked into Arthur's eyes as Arthur kept his silence. Arthur hoped to convey through his expression that he at least felt bad for causing all of this suffering, and Alistair seemed to understand because he sighed and let him go.

"The least you could do is fill Connor's position at the bank."

Arthur gave him a nod.

"Now go on to bed. We'll discuss this as a family in the morn."

Alistair gestured to the room they were in front of and he went to that room. Although he wasn't feeling particularly great about the upcoming scolding he was going to get from his mother, he did like the feeling of sleeping in bed.

He looked upon the empty room that looked to be a little larger than the others. Why none of the others were sleeping in here were only answered by the facedown pictures on the chest of drawers.

It was Connor and his wife's room and he felt guilt press down on himself. He had ultimately failed in his objective, and neglected his responsibilities. He was never supposed to be a weredog, Dylan was, and he was constantly being reminded of the fact that he was a disgrace from his mistakes.

But the selfish part of himself didn't want Dylan to be a weredog even though now he needed a partner.

Arthur pouted and shuffled under the covers, he'd find someone else, and until then he'd do it on his own.

00000000

He was currently being squeezed to death by Dylan and his mother the next morning. Arthur was wearing a suit, one of Dylan's old ones, and holding a briefcase. He was preparing to go apply for a job at the bank.

"Don't you ever do something like that again. I thought you had perished!" His mother sobbed.

"I'm just happy you're safe back home. Those woods are terrifying." Dylan said before letting him go. He made his way out of the door, wearing his fireman attire.

"Going with young maidens, not writing, I thought your father taught you better." She shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I know it's hard to resist feminine wiles. That Braginsky girl is going to explain everything, don't you worry."

Arthur felt his cheeks warm with blush, "W-what? It was about getting revenge for Connor!"

"Mother, Arthur's never going to make it to the bank if you don't let him go." Alistair said, arms crossed.

His mother gasped before letting him go. She patted her eyes with a cloth, "Ah yes. I shouldn't be so emotional."

Just then there was a knock at the door. Arthur went to open it and met Natalya's midnight blue eyes.

AN: I thought we'd take a break from our regularly scheduled Belarus and spend just a little time in England and Romano's lives.

This chapter is short but influences the next two chapters. I had to rewrite this chapter twice, Lovino's arc/ plotline was hard to connect to the main plotline, but I watched "Fresh" recently and it fits so well here.

Thank you for reading! Criticism welcome.