I don't own Hetalia okay? Thank you all who have stuck around this far. It really gets me motivated and really makes my day when I see that. I only have about a few more chapters coming up. Anyway, enough of this A/N, on with the fic!
"So, Fredka, what is it you wanted to speak to me about?" Katyusha said as she put a bottle on for Charlotte. "I know you can be rather lonely when Vanya has to work, and the children are at school."
"Yeah, it does kind of suck, but I know they are getting a good education…" Alfred trailed off. "Although Miss Michelle sent home they are doing a holiday pageant and the whole class will have a role."
"Maybe you and Vanya would want to teach the twins the legend of Ded Moroz as well as Santa." Katyusha said as she picked up the bottle and gave it to Charlotte. "I know Matvey and I like that idea for when little Charlotte here does get older. Right now, she won't know much more but as she gets older, would like for her to learn about those traditions too."
"You know Katy, that's not a bad idea." Alfred said. "But I was here to see if you had some pictures of Vanya when he was younger, going to hit my dads up for some of mine because well, getting sentimental but I want to build a nice big ol family photo album. I've dug up some I had of some of our dates and the wedding and stuff, but I was going to put some of us as kids in there and well….."
"That actually is not a bad idea. I should do the same." Katyusha smiled. "I want to thank you and Vanya for helping us out so much."
"It's nothing." Alfred smiled.
"You may not think of it as much of a burden, but I think the world of it for both of your kindness." Katyusha smiled. "Without it, we would not have anything we do now. I know Vanya was not too warm to have Matvey with him and was rather annoyed….." She said as she handed Alfred a cup of coffee.
"Well, you know how he is…." Katyusha smiled.
"Yep." Alfred nodded. "Very protective. We both had to have a talk with him about how Mattie losing his old job wasn't his fault. And I think you got through better than I could….."
"I do have my ways." Katyusha smiled. "Oh, do the twins have any objections to sweet potatoes, Matvey told me about a recipe I want to try with Thanksgiving."
"I don't think so. I know Dimitri would eat them up in a heartbeat. He loves vegetables. Ever since Vanya told him that he had to eat them, so he'd grow up as big as he is…." Alfred laughed.
"Good. And it's one of the few things with Thanksgiving dinner I can give Charlotte." Katyusha smiled. As she grew it was slowly becoming clear who she took after and where. She had Matthew's wavy hair and violet blue eyes but both Ivan and Natalya said that her face looked a lot like Katyusha's. Alfred could see a little of it himself but having known Matthew longer he could see more elements of him easier than Katyusha. "It seems like she was born just yesterday. So eager to meet mommy and daddy she was early." She cooed as Charlotte giggled. "Do you wish to hold her Fredka?"
"Sure." He said as he wrapped his arms around his niece and looked at her. "You so have Mattie's hair. Even that little cowlick of ours." He saw Katyusha's smile and looked up at her. "You know I joked with Vanya, that since you looked a lot like him in this one genderbend app I was playing with one time, and well you know people confuse Mattie and I…." Alfred sighed. Guess this is how Mattie felt when we were growing up.
Katyusha laughed. "Oh, that's so silly." She took back Charlotte and smiled.
"Well, I have to head back so Vanya and I can pick up the kids from school." Alfred said looking at his watch. "Anything you want us to bring to Thanksgiving?"
"Only your appetites." Katyusha smiled. "Matvey and I want to do something as good as yours last year."
"Come on….." Alfred pout, "I don't want to burden it all on you guys." Katyusha sighed. Matthew had warned her that Thanksgiving was one of Alfred's favorite holidays to host and that if he wasn't going to have it at his house, that he would beg to bring something. "Maybe a dessert….." She sighed.
"Anything else?" Alfred asked with a little hope.
"Can you ask your father not to bring his scones?" Katyusha sighed.
"I would if I could." Alfred replied.
"Maybe a green bean casserole or something. I've got enough elsewhere to deal with." Katyusha sighed admitting defeat. Just make sure you use fresh ones, not the canned ones."
"Will do sis." Alfred said as he ran out the door. "Got to get back and get ready to pick up the kids."
"You do that." Katyusha sighed. But that does remind me, I need to get ahold of Natalya and see what her and Toris's plans are. I would hope they could make it. She thought as she placed Charlotte over her shoulder to burp her. "I should call them."
Meanwhile, Natalya was sorting a few files for Lucille while she was in a meeting. She had learned a lot about negotiation and budgeting and how to use company resources to get the best results and one of Lucille's pet peeves was when someone tried to "cheap out". Sure, the company saved money in the short term, but she could tell when people were getting mad, and the social winds were starting to change. That and she had spent time in France, which knowing how often they would strike if their demands were not met, she learned the best way to grow a company was to avoid it by making sure the employees were happy and paid well. She shut the filing cabinet and sighed, taking a drink of her water. At this, the phone rang. "Oh," she said looking at the ID seeing it was Katyusha. "Better answer that, Ms. Bonnefoy isn't too mad if it is family….." Natalya hit the accept button. "Privet big sister, how are you today?"
"I am doing well little Natalya." Her tone changed. "I did not interrupt you at work did I?"
"Not really. Ms. Bonnefoy doesn't mind if I take calls from family while working as long as I get the job done." Natalya said.
"That's nice of her. When I was working often the bosses would hate me if I took any kind of call, even if it was an emergency." Katyusha told her, remembering the chewing out she had gotten from the head of the doctor's office she was a receptionist at when Ivan and Natalya were in school, and they had called wanting to talk to Katyusha about some of their misbehaviors or illnesses. More often than not her bosses were more sympathetic if they had gotten sick at school. But Ivan's period of rebellious nature when he was 16 that he was constantly in trouble had often gotten Katyusha in trouble at work herself because of the calls that were made. It wasn't until she had yelled at him about what his actions were causing did he stop acting up so much in school.
"Well professional companies tend to have more value to their employees than the places you had to work at big sister….." Natalya said.
"Well that farm supply store was understanding…." Katyusha said.
"They were the exception not the rule." Natalya said. "To think a place would be so forgiving they would let you have Black Friday off, I am amazed."
"Speaking of that time of year," Katyusha began, "Matvey and I are hosting. Vanya and Fredka have agreed to come and bring the twins. So are Matvey's fathers. Are you and Toris coming or do you have plans yourself?"
"No, no plans. Might go back to Lithuania over Christmas but at the same time, haven't heard much from Toris's parents yet." Natalya groaned.
"What's the matter?" Katyusha said worried.
"Oh, I remembered Toris's one friend form his childhood that he had been talking to lately, Feliks." Natalya said. "I do not know what to make of that man. Once he found out Toris and I were marrying, he insisted on being his best man and that he would handle all the arrangements. Saying he could expand his talents across the Atlantic."
"So, is Feliks a designer?" Katyusha asked.
"Wedding planner. Apparently he conveniently forgot to tell Toris he was discharged a few years ago and took that up along with being a professional gamer on Discord." Natalya sighed. "How you go from being in a very skilled unit, almost making the Polish special forces to that, I do not know. Yet Toris isn't that surprised by it." Natalya sighed. "I guess he knows Feliks better than I do."
"Well, he certainly sounds interesting." Katyusha laughed.
"I get why he is so friendly with Alfred….." Natalya observed. "I mean Feliks makes him seem normal….."
"Well let me know as soon as you can, I need to do the grocery shopping soon and need to know how much I need to get. Matvey and I would love to have you two as would the twins. I know how much they love you two. You're their favorite aunt and uncle."
"Doesn't that upset you?" Natalya asked, feeling ashamed that the twins had favorites.
"Not at all. They are still little. They will get older and understand family better. I am just glad to see you are making them so happy." Katyusha said.
"They were so little to have things so rough…. their mother and father being like that, just focusing on themselves, no worry for what the lives they created would have to live with….." Natalya said trailing off.
"Well, it's good they found Vanya and Fredka then." Katyusha said. "So, they and you can give them the proper family they deserve. You and I both know they would not get that from their biological parents, nor would they get it from the foster care system. There was a reason I worked so hard to make sure I could get charge of you and Vanya when our great uncle passed."
"I know. We'll join you for Thanksgiving, I doubt Toris would have anything to say about it. But I really must get off before Ms. Bonnefoy comes out of her meeting." Natalya said.
"I understand. See you later baby sister." Katyusha smiled as she hung up.
Natalya placed her phone down to find Lucille standing at her desk. "On the phone are we?"
"Yes mam." Natalya said. "My older sister wanted to know what my plans for Thanksgiving were. She and Matthew are planning on hosting and want to invite everyone."
"Including me?" Lucille asked. "I mean your sister is married to my nephew."
"I am sorry mam, I did not think to ask you, I figured that would be something that would be more proper for Matthew to bring up as you are his aunt. I did not think it my place….." Natalya began, heart racing thinking she had somehow pissed off Lucille by not insisting that she come to the dinner too.
"Relax, I'll talk to Matthew myself." Lucille smiled. "But I was in a meeting with some of the members of the town council and the chamber of commerce. They like that we have revitalized a hot spot for the town. Many people would often visit back before the old owner and stay and give business to the town but over time the neglect just drove so many away. I was telling them we needed other things for the town to bring people in, like for the holidays and other times of the year that are not the peak seasons."
"Did you manage to come up with any ideas mam?" Natalya said.
"Well Elizabeta is working on the spa to go with it. Just needing to get some permits through and such. That can be an attraction to visitors and locals." Lucille said as she motioned for Natalya to follow her. "We were discussing holiday ideas."
"I know that some of my college roommates would often try to make things for holiday craft expos at the end of the year to help supplement income for the next semester or make profitable a hobby they had to help keep them sane." Natalya said.
Lucille paused. She tapped her finger on her chin and did some figures. "Hmmmm….. that's not that bad an idea. I don't know if we have the time to properly organize it for this year. Many vendors who we could have called for it would have registered for other events likely. And it would take time to make sure we don't have too many of the same type. But I like that idea. And the locals would too as they can get in on this. Great job Natalya."
"Thank you mam…." She spoke.
"I keep telling you, call me Lucille, I feel mam is too formal." Lucille laughed.
"Thank you Lucille." Natalya said.
"I think we're good for the day. You've made my job so much easier, and I have a few things to think over and present to the town council. You are a life saver Natalya." Lucille said. "Bonne nuit" She waved to Natalya.
"Tebe togo zhe, Lucille. Do zavtra." Natalya replied, knowing that Lucille was working on Russian and found it fun and helpful to have a practice partner that spoke it as their native tongue.
"Let me guess….. that was, 'Same to you Lucille, see you tomorrow?" Lucille asked.
"Da." Natalya added.
"Okay now that I know is Yes." She smiled. "It's getting better. I will see you tomorrow and I will talk to Matthew about coming to Thanksgiving."
"I am sure he would be more than happy to arrange something." Natalya waved.
"My butt is for sitting not for kissing. You do not need to act like that to me. I know my nephew. I guess the only downside to having one of your in-laws as a boss is that they will be at family functions." Lucille laughed as Natalya rolled her eyes. "Trust me, whatever happens at something like that, no matter how embarrassing or otherwise would be kept discreet. You would disclose what you want, and I would only speak nothing of the best of you if someone were to push and not take my separation of business and personal life. I have found that you must do that in order to have a good time working. You see we only have one life in this world. You work to live not live to work. And I have seen far too many live to work and they face a bitter and horrible end." Natalya paused as this was something that far too many people had warned her about. She blew them off but coming from Lucille, it seemed that these words had more weight. "And if you did, it would break poor Nikita's heart. She loves you dearly. Maybe like some mix of big sister and aunt."
"That she does." Natalya sighed.
"Well, I know she will love Thanksgiving. And Alfred mentioned a Christmas Pageant her school is having. If you want to help with it, I won't say no and even let you take paid time to do any work that may need to be done while you are supposed to be here." Lucille added with a wink as if she were to suggest that she could do some of that by helping with the pageant.
Lucille then headed to her office to make one last call before she headed home for the day. "I don't know if he will be on yet or not…."
"Well, that was unpleasant….." Gilbert sighed as he had called Matthew into the office.
"Sorry sir?" he asked.
"Uggggh. Relations with story prospects and sponsors. I am normally very very good with them. Until this one." Gilbert moaned. "Francy pants did not tell me she worked with his sister…. or if he did, I did not listen….."
"Excuse me?" Matthew asked.
"Elizabeta Héderváry." Gilbert moaned. "I grew up with her. And I did like her, but I had pissed her off too much and she marries some Austrian doctor. And still hates me. Took every bit of professional effort I had to not taunt her. She wanted to with me so bad, I could feel the tension over the phone….."
"Oh, Aunt Lucille told me she's opening a spa with that bed and breakfast that my papa is running now." Matthew said.
"Yes and they want to run some advertisements. Get the local folks interested. But why, why why her?" Gilbert moaned then got a sneaky smile. "I may want to go myself on the grand opening. See if she is one of the ones giving the massages….."
"I don't think she would like that, even if she was one of the ones actually working in the spa…." Matthew said. "Is she the one you sang that bad Karaoke of Puddle of Mudd's She Hates Me at Oktoberfest?"
"I will neither confirm nor deny….." Gilbert said.
"So that's a yes." Matthew rolled his eyes. "Al was the same way when I said he might actually like Ivan…"
"That'll give you crows feet!" Gilbert said. "And of course, Alfie would hide his feelings for Ivy like that when you were in college….."
"No rolling eyes won't give you crow's feet and I'm amazed I don't have bags under my eyes now that Charlotte's teething…." Matthew said. "I know, you know how my papa is with his looks."
"Ja Ja….." Gilbert sighed. "Get to makeup! You're on soon."
"I know." Matthew said as he saw a message from Lucille. "'Matthieu, I heard you and Katy are hosting Thanksgiving this year, mind if I come?'" He looked at the message and thought. They would be a total of 8 adults and two kids. He was already going to place Toris and Natalya at a kiddie table knowing how they felt about them. One more can't hurt…..Katy sure won't mind…. he thought as he typed 'Yes Aunt Lucille, we'd love to have you there….'
"Okay Matthew let's get you dolled up for the camera. You're on in 15!" The makeup artist said as she took him to the anchor chair and got to work. "You make this so easy. And your wife must love my work. Lucky girl."
Don't let Katyusha hear that…I'm worried she may get too self-conscious of her own looks….I think she's the most beautiful woman in the world and could never think of another but she may worry with all this attention I am getting….Matthew thought as he quickly looked over the notes of the broadcast and the stage director ordered all non-camera personnel off the stage.
So how was that? Good? Bad? Short? Long? Let me know in a review. And yeah I was listening to some Puddle of Mudd's song She Hates Me and got some PruHun ideas. Was going to try and make a oneshot of that but no ideas yet. But the work season is over for now so I may be able to update better. Knowing you guys love it is what keeps me going through some of the tough writer's block. And with Feliks being a pro-gamer on Discord well that came from some of the more recent strips on Hetascanlations. Doesn't surprise me actually he'd do that…. But anyway, remember to read (well you just did) and to review. Ciao for now,
Otherrealmwriter
Aka
Realm.