It's amazing how things change. England for one knew that life was ruthless in the way that it changed and twisted around a person until they either grew strong enough to bear it or crumbled beneath the weight of that change. When England had gazed upon his niece and nephew he had felt the strongest, fiercest joy he had ever felt and such pride for the Nation that he had helped raise during his younger years but beneath that fierce pride was a deep longing. He had five more months to go before he could give birth, five more months of waiting to hold his own child and there was a longing attached to him that refused to abate. But this wasn't about England's longing that changed. No, it had to do with poor Jolene. England had been knitting purple booties that afternoon, the rain striking the window in it's familiar tapping rhythm when the front door downstairs crashed open then slammed shut as feet slammed against the stairs and when the child ran down the hallway flinging her bag in her room England looed up. There his daughter was running for the open door of his bedroom, tears in her big blue eyes and when she caught sight of England she gasped and wailed throwing herself across the room to his lap where she buried her face into as she wailed with all the heartbreak that a child could possess. England dropped his knitting in surprise before moving it from Jolene's head to the bed bedside table and he tugged the young girl into his lap as tears ran down her pink cheeks as she hiccuped and sobbed as her arms curled around England's throat. Never had Jolene cried like this and as she clung onto England he began rocking his daughter as he rubbed her bac and her little arms tightened around his neck.

"Oh darling, darling, what ever is the matter?" England murmured to the girl as he rocked the two of them in the chair and Jolene wailed so fiercely her voice cracked as she clung onto England and he noted that she was dressed quite warmly so this afternoon had been her ice sating lessons. Jolene participated in a class with other children rather than the one on one treatment that Abel got but that was because England wanted her to try and make some friends because she was so shy sometimes that others mistook it for a snooty attitude. But this? This wasn't normal. Never once had Jolene come home crying lie this an as she curled up in his arms keening out crackling sounds from her throat did he move his hands from her bac to cup her red face which was dripping with tears. "My darling girl, what is the matter? What happened that has made you weep so?"

"The-The kids in class are so mean!" Jolene howled as she threw her head bac finally as she raised her hands upwards towards her eyes in such sheer as strands of hair clung to her wet red cheeks and the heavy steps of America's rang out in the hallway. "I-I-I said that I was takin' ballet and ice skating and they called me stuck up! They said I was a stupid princess! Th-They said that I was spoiled by you and Daddy! But that's not true! I'm not spoiled at all!" Jolene's words were howled lie she was unable to deal with the grief and England began rocking in the chair with his daughter burying her face in his chest sobbing wildly and he looked up to meet the sy blue eyes of America's and both parents pursed their lips as Jolene wailed into England's chest. "I don't ever wanna go bac there, Mommy! Never ever!"

"Darling, you have to go back there just until the Academy is finished then you'll be going to a school with other children who understand you. There's no shame in doing ballet and ice skating, none whatsoever but Jolene you've got to do Mummy a favor." The girl leaned back in her mother's grip and England flicked the end of her nose then began wiping at her wet cheeks making her whine and whimper softly to herself. "Mummy doesn't want you to feel bad about doing two extracurriculars. What you need to do is get your homework done, wash up and we'll do something fun. I promise that as soon as the academy is finished that you'll be much happier, darling."

"You're not listening!" Jolene suddenly screamed then jerking herself out of her mother's arms onto the floor once again and she stamped her feet and slamming her fists against her sides as her long golden blonder hair trembled down her back. "You're not listening at all, Mommy! You're just like Daddy! I said I don't want to ever go back there! Never ever will I go back and not you or Daddy can make me go back there to those meanies! I refuse!" She then whipped around facing her father pointing at him with an accusatory look in her sky blue eyes that burned like flames and she stamped her feet once again. "You can't make me do anythin'! Soon enough you'll leave me behind when the stupid baby comes and I'll be all alone! You two are just as mean as those meanie kids!"

She then stomped out of the room shoving past America who sighed as Jolene marched to her room slamming the door as hard as she dared making the blast radiate throuhg the house as AMerica turned his attention to England rocking slowly in the chair. America released another sigh as he walked over to the bed plopping down onto it making the springs scream at the sudden impact of weight and the man leaned backwards on his hands looking to England who had picked up his knitting once again. "I don't know what the hell we're going to do with that girl." America groaned out as he flopped onto his back, hands coming to rest on his stomach this time and he crossed his legs. "We're going to have to find a whole new ballet teacher and ice skating teacher in America just for her to go to and then there's the situation of where we're goin to stay."

"I've been thinking on it, love. Why don't you petition teachers for afterschool activities? Such as ballet and ice skating and hockey? Even football and baseball!" England replied as he looed to his lover laying out on the bed and he cocked his head to the side with a sigh on his lips. "Of course this means the children who are doing extra curricular things are going to have to wait for a while before beginning again I'm sure that clubs will help school life go normally for them." He then paused and looed to America again. There was something about the way he had finished talking that bothered England. "Love, you don't possibly mean however that you want us to move to America again do you?"

"Well yeah." America slid his arms along the bed to jerk himself up on his elbows, nudging his glasses up his nose and found the incredulous loo on England's face to be quite the thing to see. He sighed out throwing his head backwards looking up at the ceiling rather than at the hurt expression on his lover's face. "I mean think about it realistically, babe. Do you expect Jolene to give up her ballet for god knows how long? Or for Liam to wait for a soccer team to start up? I mean I can petition for those teachers but it would take a while and we know how nuts Jolene is about her ballet lessons. She'd be even more miserable at the academy than she is right now! We of course can think of moving to my place again but only if you're comfortable with it and then we'll move bac here once the teachers are all settled out for after school activities. And I know you'd get a kick out of seeing Austynn and the twins again! We could invite them over for dinners, hang out with them and all the time you can relax and we could be lie an actual family!"

England listened with an awed expression at the long winded ideas from the American and England put his knitting to the side and stood up as quietly as he could and waled over to the bed sitting down next to America. He looked down at his hands silently before peering at his lover who was staring at him rather intently and the sight of those sky blue eyes leveled on him so seriously, so evenly sent flutters through the English Nation as he met those eyes. "Love, are you possibly homesick?" When the AMerican began shaking his head the English Nation reached out placing a hand on top of America's. "I will admit that I miss Canada as well and wish to keep an eye on him and the bloody Frog but we have to move bac to your homeland for the right reasons and while these are very reasonable explanations for moving back we have to remember one very vital thing. I'm pregnant, love. There will come a time where air travel isn't possible for me and if it is it'll be very uncomfortable. We have to be in the right place before I give birth. All this moving back and forth isn't good for us."

"I know! But I just-" America's hands curled into fists briefly as he merely breathed in tiny gasps that were surely to be words but died before they could come out and the American then looed up at the ceiling. "I'm not homesick, how could I be? I have everything that matters to me wherever I go and I have you. I'm just thinking of the kids. I don't- I don't want to let go of them yet. It seems so sudden that they're going to be shipped off to the academy next month and yeah I'm completely excited for this new baby but there's just something completely different about saying goodbye to my other babies you know?" America hesitated before looing to England again, the green of those eyes shimmering now as they stared at America and the blonde felt his own eyes prickling lightly. "I don't want to say goodbye to them yet. They're still kids dammit! I'm going to miss them! I want to be closer to them if something happens! It's not fair that we get to be so close but other Nations can't! And-An I just don't know!"

"Oh, love, I understand completely." England whispered as he then laid down on his side facing the American and squeezed the fist in his hand and he managed to weave his fingers into America's and clutch at the hand with both of his own. "But we can't keep going back and forth. We have a new baby to think about as well and we can't keep going back and forth for it will only be stressful for our child. It'll be stressful for us! Can't you understand my point of view? Besides, we'll be calling and talking to the children every day if we have too just like the other parents and of course there'll be video chats and videos sent back and forth! We have to look at this as an opportunity for our children to get the best education possible! They'll even be home on the vacations and for summer as well! It's not like we'll never go a day without hearing their voices or seeing them on the web camera! But we have to move for the right reasons, darling."

It was quiet between the pair as they locked eyes, a quietness that seemed to breath life into the words they both had just spoken and England squeezed the American's hand softly as he leaned in brushing his lips against his cheek. "I love you, Arthur. I just don't want the kids to feel like we're abandoning them next month or something. I want them to be happy that they're going to the same school that we went too. I don't want them to feel lost or alone." America murmured as those soft lips continued kissing his face comfortingly, the lips moving down to his throat where they pressed against his fluttering pulse just below his jaw and he squeezed England's hand back as they laid close to one another. "Liam will be there for his sister but Jolene is only four so I doubt she'll have a good grasp on why all of a sudden it's just Liam and not us there for her. I don't want her to feel lonely at the new school."

"Neither do I love but we have to let them grow up. Many parents send their children away to private schools all the time and you have to remember that we're still going to talk to her every day and we're going to see her on vacation so there'll be plenty of time to see them! But we can't just pick up our whole lives and move to America just to breathe down their necks. We have to let them grow up somehow and living on their own will provide some sense of independence amongst them. Plus you have to imagine that they'll have roommates their own ages and they'll be able to make bonds and friendships with other the other Nation's children." He paused then groaned. "And they'll also be meeting their OTHER cousins for the first time possibly. Ireland's, Scotland's and Wales' children will possibly be there so it's not lie they'll be too horribly lonely."

"You never told me that your brothers had kids!"

"Oh. Well my brothers have children? I didn't think it was important at the time as they never bring them round when we're here. You know how they feel about us." England replied with a shrug to his shoulders and he then pouted lightly at the American as he pulled bac. "Besides they're children are absolutely nuisances I bet. You know how my brothers behave! Never showing up for a World Meeting, never attended the World Academy when it was open and never interacting with the other Nations. Well, I should say they were "interacting" with a few choice Nations which gave them children of their own apparently." England then sat up with a sigh as he climbed to his feet and then tugged on America's hand causing him to sit up with him and climb to his feet as well and the two of them looed at one another for a moment or two before England dropped his eyes. "They've sent me pictures of their children would you like to see them?"

"Uh, hell yeah! Get those pictures out!" America pumped their hands excitedly making England roll his eyes playfully but he released the American's hand and leaned toward the bedside table opening the drawer tugging an envelope out. It was a pristine letter that had clearly been opened once and once only before being shove away and America tilted his head slightly. "So you're telling me that technically I have more nieces or nephews?"

"Technically speaking yes you do." England sighed out as he t ugged out a single picture that America snatched away from the English Nation making him glare at the American as he looed down at the picture eagerly. In the picture were three girls, two possessing dar and medium brown locs of hair respectively but with wickedly sparkling green eyes and the third girl possessed light reddish-blonde hair with rather large brown eyes. "Wow, these girls are as pretty as Jolene! What are their names? Do you think we'll ever get the chance to meet them?"

"I don't know if we'll ever meet them but their names are Ansley, Andreina and Gwen. You can only imagine how surprised I was to get the picture and a letter in the mail explaining who these girls were. Ansley is Scotland's daughter, Andreina is Ireland's and Gwen is Wales' daughters. They're quite beautiful girls and while you cannot judge a person throuhg a picture I can only imagine they are quite the handful for each of them." England smirked at that when the sound of a door creaking open made both heads look towards their bedroom door as Jolene appeared looking rather solemn and properly chastised without England having said a word to her about her behavior yet. "Well, hello there, darling. Have you decided to be a good girl and finished up this silly temper tantrum of yours?"

"Yes, Mommy." Jolene mumbled as she looked down at her feet then looked to her father holding her hands up hopefully. "Daddy?" America placed the picture onto the bed then waled across the room to his daughter and picked her up easily, settling her on his hip as her arms curled tightly around his neck and her fingers began playing with the hair at the base of his neck. "Now who's pretty like me? I heard you and Mommy talk about some other girls and I wanna see them!" She wriggled in America's arms eagerly as her father waled bac across the floor then looked to her mother rather bashfully and widened those sky blue eyes of hers. "Please? I would really like to see the picture, Mommy!"

From down below the sound of a door slamming made all three members of the family loo up them smile at the sound of feet racing up the stairs. "Mummy! Daddy, I'm home!" Liam belted out the words like they were a song that needed to be sung and when he used the banister to swing himself into the hallway he rushed down the hallway towards the bedroom door's open entrance and smiled at his parents when he appeared in the doorway. His blonde locks of hair were mussed from the sweat, a stain of dirt on one chee and the flushed redness of exertion on btoh and an easy happy smile was on the boy's lips as he smiled at both of his parents widely. His jersey was wrinkled and dirty from many impacts with the ground no doubt but he smiled like there wasn't a thing he loved more. "What're we doing up here?"

"Would you like to see a picture of your other cousins? From my side of the family, I mean." England plucked up the picture from the bed as Liam came to stand by his sister who beamed at the sight of her brother and for a moment England could only gawk at the three of them. They were like a perfect set of porcelain dolls with their blonde locks of hair and wide sparling sky blue eyes that they had inherited from their father and England felt the fervent desire to share the same blue eyes as his family. They'd made the perfect set if he himself could possess that beautiful sparkling blue. He shook himself out of his thoughts when he held the picture up for Jolene to gawk at for a few moments before handing the picture to his son who studied the girls' faces with such an intensity that it was almost as if he were committing them to memory. "They come from your Uncles Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. If they decide to send the girls to the academy you'll meet them there but I wouldn't hold your breath."

"Is it because they're scared of people?" Jolene questioned curiously cocking her head to the side as she stared at her mother who snorted and America coughed to cover up a laugh while Liam looed to their mother to get the answer they both were looing for when Jolene scowled at her father then at her mother. "Are they? Because they never visit us like Uncle Mattie does! Do they not like us? Did we do something bad to make them not like us?"

"No, darling, neither of you has done a single thing that's made them not like you. They're recluses of a sort, hardly leaving their own homelands and if they chose to raise their daughters in the same manner then there's nothing that we can do about it. But there's not a single thing that you've done. Maybe sometime soon I'll contact your Uncles and see if they'll come and meet you!" England didn't have high hopes he'd get an answer to that letter but he reached up cupping his daughter's face and stroking her pink cheeks as her sky blue eyes sparkled at him worriedly and he pressed his thumbs against her cheekbones lightly. "Don't worry if you're uncles are at all curious about their ever lovely niece and nephew then they'll respond. I'll write the letters tonight! Now who wants to help Mummy with dinner?"

"Me!" Both children cried delightedly throwing their hands up and England laughed.

"You, my darling William, have to wash up and change your clothing so go on and do that now for me. And you, my dear little Jolene, can come with me and Daddy downstairs to get dinner done! We're going to have chicken alfredo tonight!" Both children squirmed to get away from their father and America laughed as he plopped his daughter down on the floor where she then ran down the hallway towards the stairs while her brother ran for the bedroom to get a fresh set of clothing on and then to the bathroom with a slam of the door. England then smiled as he draped his arms around America's shoulders and tugged him closer with a smile on his lips as he fluttered his lashes in a way he thought ridiculous but made the both of them smirk. "As for you."

"Yes sir?"

"You owe me about, oh, thirty kisses."

"With pleasure!"