This chapter takes place a week after the previous one. This is why it might seem slightly rushed. Enjoy~
"I'm home…"
"In the kitchen, love."
"Yeah..."
Alfred set his briefcase down and took off his bomber jacket slowly, his face drawn and tired. As he placed the jacket on the hanger, he stopped and looked down at where he was standing. It was here, just a week ago that he had brought home two scared children and opened his door to them. Then, he kicked them out heartlessly.
It had been a whole week and Alfred still had not been able to get over it. He wanted to see their smiling faces again and hear their laughter. He had no idea why it was affecting him so much. They were just two children; there were even more in the world. Many more orphans and children who needed a home. Why were these two so amazingly important?
Arthur had a bad week as well. After the children left, he didn't see the point in many things he took joy in before. Instead of reading a book when he came home from classes, he just sat on the couch and looked at the television. He didn't watch it. It wasn't worth it. He kept wishing he could go into the other room and wake up the two children, but there were no children to wake up. The thought saddened him and made him distant from Alfred.
Alfred walked into the kitchen were Arthur was looking through the bills. The Brit looked up and his lips curved upwards, but it could hardly be counted as a smile. "We have an extra five hundred this month. Thanks to you getting that case, of course."
"Yeah," Alfred said. "It's helped. Maybe they're starting to see me as important now." Arthur nodded and closed the check book. Alfred looked at the numbers and thought a moment. "Five hundred... That's enough for a bed, isn't it?"
"Alfred…" Arthur warned, looking at him with narrowed green eyes.
"And if I can keep getting cases like this then—"
"Alfred!"
"What?"
Alfred stared at his husband for a moment, then glanced back down to the numbers. "Oh," he whispered. "Sorry… I didn't mean… I just…"
"Miss them?" Arthur asked, his voice even quieter. Alfred looked up and nodded sadly. "I do too. I wish that we could have…"
"Me too," Alfred said. He set the paper down and picked up his briefcase. "But it doesn't matter now, does it? I think I'm going to go to bed early." He turned around to leave. He had been going to bed early for the past few days.
"Wait," Arthur shouted. He jumped up, the chair skidding across the floor, and grabbed Alfred's wrist. Alfred was surprised when he turned around to see tears streaking down Arthur's cheeks. Alfred dropped the briefcase and pulled Arthur into a hug in one swift motion.
"I can't… I keep worrying. I want…" Arthur sobbed into Alfred's chest, gripping the other's shirt tightly. Alfred rubbed small circles on Arthur's back, kissing his head repeatedly. Finally, Arthur looked up at Alfred with glassy, but determined tear filled eyes. "Go buy a goddamn bed."
Peter and Lily sat in the large central bedroom. Lily was on one of the beds, her knees up to her chest. She coughed softly, still not completely over the cold from a week before. Peter, on the opposite bed, looked over worriedly. The owners of this home hadn't paid much mind to the newest occupants. The children spent much of the day in their room. Peter wanted to ask for a doctor just to be sure Lily would end up alright, but every time he tried to get someone's attention, he was brushed off.
"Are you alright, Lily?" Peter asked. Lily looked up and nodded. Her eyes seemed sad and tired. Even when she was well rested, she seemed upset and tired. Peter couldn't be sure if it was the cold or missing Arthur and Alfred.
They still hadn't quite been able to get over the fact that they had been kicked out. It was hard to tell who was taking it the worst as they were both handling it in their own ways. Lily seemed quieter about it. She would sleep in late and sometimes Peter would catch silent tears streaming down her face. Peter, on the other hand, was a little more vocal about it. He would rant on and on about how unfair it was that they were in this situation and complain about how mean Arthur and Alfred were and how they were jerks. Lily would listen silently, but she wished Peter would just stop talking about it.
"Peter? Lily?" a small, plump woman tapped on the door and entered. She wore a purple dress that was draped on her like a curtain. Her white hair was threaded with bits of brown and her glasses hung off the edge of their nose, a beaded string going behind her neck.
The two children looked up and over at her with curious expressions. She smiled a practiced smile and came in a little more. "Hey, there's someone who wants to see you. They're looking to possibly adopt!" At this the two brightened and exchanged glances. She left the room and the two broke into smiles.
"Peter, do you think…?" Lili started, her eyes wide. Peter smiled back.
"Maybe! C'mon!" He jumped up and grabbed her hand, pulling her up off of the bed. She got up with a bounce and rushed after him as he led her into the hall and down the stairs. They crashed into the office, but stopped short as their faces crumpled with disappointment.
Instead of seeing the happy-go-lucky American and the stuffy, but kind, Brit they found themselves face to face with a smiling young woman. She had brown hair that curled down her back and bright green eyes that seemed to light up the room. She seemed nice, but she wasn't what they wanted.
The plump woman, the owner of the home, came into the room and looked between the children and the woman. "Peter, Lily, this is Ms. Elizaveta. She has an adopted son and is looking for more children to fill her house." Elizaveta smiled at the two and then frowned, turning to the woman.
"Actually, we were just looking for a little girl to adopt. Roddy doesn't want another boy." She frowned and turned to the children, looking mostly at Lily. "But aren't you a cutie? Would you like to come live with me?"
Lily looked at her wide eyed and turned to Peter. "N-No. Not unless Peter is with me." She scooted closer to Peter who took her hand protectively.
"She's my sister," Peter glared. "She's not leaving with anyone unless I'm with her."
"Well, I'm sorry, Peter," the owner said, losing her smile and glaring at the boy. "But the papers have been signed and Lily is going to live with Ms. Elizaveta. We don't have the money to keep you here for long periods of time. When we get the opportunity to adopt out a child, we take it."
"But we're siblings! You can't separate us!" The older woman rolled her eyes.
"You two look totally different," she said. "It doesn't take an idiot to realize you two are just pretending to be siblings. Besides, it wouldn't matter. We would separate you anyway."
Peter's face went red with rage. "How could you? You jerks! You promised we would stay together! Your promised Alfred and Arthur! I hate you! I hate you! Jerks!"
"Peter! Enough!" the owner shouted. "Go back to your room. Lily leaves tomorrow. And that is the end of it." With that, the woman turned and left, her purple dress swishing behind her as she stomped off to her private office. It was implied that Elizaveta was supposed to follow, but she didn't. She turned her gaze back to the children.
"You two really want to stay together, don't you?" she asked. They nodded at her, Peter still glaring and Lily looking frightened. Elizaveta smiled softly. "I'm afraid my husband has his foot down about this. He told me, only one child. But I can't separate you two. I'll try to get out of this and maybe find you someone who can take in both of you and get you out of here." She smiled and ruffled their hair before following the woman.
The two stood there for a moment, listening. First the talking was calm and quiet, but it soon grew in volume.
"I don't want to separate them!" They heard Elizaveta shouting. "So, I refuse to adopt Lily! Please, just forget about the papers!"
"No! You signed the papers and now Lily is your daughter!"
Peter didn't want to hear any more. Lily went pale at that last sentence and looked up at Peter with huge and scared eyes. He grabbed her hand and ran upstairs. He sat her on the bed and looked at her intently before pulling her into a huge hug.
"P-Peter!" she sobbed. "I can't go! I don't wanna! We're siblings so we can't leave each other! Do something!"
"Shh, Lily, it's alright," Peter said softly. He was angry and upset, but right now he had to focus on comforting Lily. He held her close as he thought. He knew what he had to do. It was the only way they could keep each other safe; the only thing they knew.
"We'll leave tonight, alright? I'm not gonna let them take you away." Lily looked at him with teary eyes and nodded, wiping at them. "I promise you, we'll never be apart, okay?" Lily nodded again and hugged him tightly, coughing a little.
"You're still sick, aren't you?" Peter gently laid her down on the old, creaky bed and covered her with the itchy brown blanket, making sure the holes were down near her feet instead of up by her stomach or chest. "I'll wake you up when we leave, alright?" Lily nodded and closed her eyes, instantly falling asleep. Peter sat on the other bed and waited, hoping the time would pass quickly.
The moon shone through the single window in the old room. About fifteen kids were asleep in the old beds except for one blue eyed blonde. He counted exactly sixty minutes after he heard the owner go to her room and shut off her light. Then, he sat up and gingerly got up, being careful to not let the bed creak too much. He walked the short distance to Lily's bed and gently shook the small girl.
"Lily," he whispered. "Come on, it's time to get up." Lily groaned softly and opened her eyes. She looked up at Peter before sitting and rubbing her eyes, then took his hand and got out of the bed. Peter brought her to the door of the room and stood by the door, listening. Hearing nothing, they slipped out the door and into the hallway.
The hall was pitch black as there were no windows. Not even the moon could help them as they walked down the still unfamiliar hallway. Peter held Lily's hand as he felt along the walls, careful not to press down on any doors for fear they would emit an unwanted noise.
The stairs were the worst part for the two children. Being an old building, the steps were all different sizes and widths. It was tough enough to maneuver up and down them in the day time. It was a nightmare at night. Peter went first, keeping Lily close to him. A few times, they almost fell and Peter had to clamp his hand over Lily's mouth for fear she would shout out. Finally, they reached the bottom and hurried to the front door. The door had no alarm, so they simply opened it and slipped outside, the darkness of the night consuming them as they raced down the streets.
"Oh. It's you two again." The old woman looked between the two young blondes with slight contempt. Alfred and Arthur exchanged glances and nodded. "Well, what do you want? I'm very busy, you know."
The three were seated in the main office, the woman glancing at her computer every few moments. She didn't look happy to see them and both were worried that she had been mean to the kids. Upon seeing her hateful gaze, they both felt guilt for placing the children in the home. All they could do now, though, was pray everything was alright.
"We were actually hoping to see the children. Lily and Peter?" Alfred paused and looked at her for a hint of recognition at the names. Instead, she simply stared at him, so he couldn't be sure if she even knew who he was talking about. "Uh, we want to adopt them."
"Well, why didn't you just keep them if you wanted the children so badly?" the woman snapped. Arthur and Alfred looked at each other again nervously. They did not like this woman one bit and were certain the children didn't like her either.
"We didn't have the money at the time," Arthur answered. "But... uh, our family sent us some money so we could care for the children. Where are they?"
"Ha! You should know where they are. You do, don't you?" At this, the couples' eyes widened.
"What do you mean?" Alfred asked, panicking slightly. "We wouldn't know where they are! You should know where they are! This is your foster home and they are in your care... Right?" The woman simply looked at them with a harsh gaze.
"Right...?" Arthur asked, standing up. "Dammit, woman, where are they?"
"Hmm, I guess you really don't know where they are." The woman looked at them for a moment before going back to her computer. "They ran away. I can't seem to find them anywhere."
"They ran away?" Arthur shouted. "Then why aren't you looking for them? Why have the police not been notified? What is your problem?"
"Look," the woman snapped, taking her glasses off and narrowing her eyes. "If they ran away, then they obviously don't want to be here. I can't be held responsible for children who have no sense. They're gone, end of story."
Alfred and Arthur both opened their mouths to shout at the horrible woman when there was a tap at the door. "Am I interrupting? I'm sorry." A woman with green eyes and long brunette hair entered the room and looked at the two men before focusing on the woman. "I heard that Lily ran away. Is she alright? Have you found her?"
"I thought you said you weren't going to adopt her after all," the other scoffed. "No, we haven't found her nor the other brat. If you three want to start a search party, then be my guest, but I am far too busy to help. And if you do find them, don't bring 'em back here."
The three glared at her before leaving, Alfred slamming the door behind them. The minute they were out of the office, Arthur ran a shaky hand through his hair. "My God... What are we going to do?" He then looked at the woman. "And who are you?"
"I'm Elizaveta," the woman replied with a small smile. "I had come here to adopt a little girl and got roped into adopting Lily. I didn't realize that she had a brother, but that woman would not let me drop the adoption. Now they must have run away because they didn't want to be separated. Please, you have to find them."
"We will, right Arthur?" Alfred looked to his husband who nodded. Elizaveta sighed with relief.
"Oh, thank you. I have to hurry home now. But if you find them, please, please take them in. And if I see them, I'll be sure to find you." The two blondes nodded and she smiled before leaving the building and going down the street.
"Hello? Hi, it's mommy!" Elizaveta said into her phone as she walked. She rolled her eyes at the response. "Alright, it's Lizzy. Yes, I know you're seventeen. Tell Roddy that we're not going to adopt another child right now. That should make him happy. Yes, I'll be home soon. Can you put the roast in the oven? Thank you! Love you. Bye, Vash."
Darkness had fallen over the town aside from the street lamps that had turned on. No light reached the recesses of the small alley the two children had found as they huddled against each other for warmth. Lily was coughing a little in her sleep, her entire body hot. Peter was holding her close to him and looking around in case anyone came.
He was about to drift off to sleep when he heard someone calling his name. They were too far away, so he couldn't recognize the voice. Instead, he assumed it was someone from the home and jumped up, shaking Lily.
"Lily! Wake up! They're coming for us!" Lily's eyes carefully opened and she looked up at Peter. She opened her mouth, but Peter yanked her up before she could say anything. "Come on, we have to run. Go ahead of me." Lily simply nodded and started to run, though her lungs burned painfully. Peter ran close behind her, but kept her in front in case she were to fall behind.
Arthur and Alfred heard the shouts and ran in that direction. They could just barely make out the outlines of two small children running down the sidewalks through the wavering light of the street lamps. They weren't exactly sure what street they were on when they started running, but once they took a turn, Arthur knew immediately.
"Alfred, we have to catch them now. We're nearing the river. It's forty degrees outside and if one of them falls in, they're screwed. It doesn't have a fence around it at these parts." Alfred nodded and ran faster, Arthur trying his hardest to match the pace.
They were running through a back part of the city, the 'slums,' if you will. The river snaked through the Cortland City at odd places, making it very pretty, but also rather confusing if you were new to town. The children had lived in Cortland City for a while, but even in the darkness, they couldn't make out what was in front of them, neither had any idea that they were approaching the Cortland River.
Lily's left foot tapped the steep bank and she started to fall forward with a yelp. Peter instantly knew what was happening and ran forward to grab her arm. He pulled her back from falling, but in pushing her back, ended up falling forward. Lily shouted his name as he tumbled down the bank, hitting his head and blacking out as he crashed into the river.
The two blondes heard the shouts and the splash. Fearing the worst, they quickly caught up to the end of the street. Arthur scooped up Lily and she shouted.
"Shh, shh, it's us." Lily looked up through the darkness and instantly recognized him.
"P-Peter fell into the water!" she shouted, starting to cry. Alfred had already taken off his bomber jacket and tossed it to Arthur. Then his shoes came off until he was down in only his pants and undershirt. He handed his glasses to Arthur before diving in.
Alfred couldn't see anything as he swam through the river. He could only hope the boy had gone straight down. He touched the bottom quickly and began feeling around. His hand brushed against the ratty fabric of a shirt and he pulled it closer. As he brought the fabric closer, he saw that it was attached to something much larger. Feeling the arms and legs of a small boy, he pressed the body close to his chest and placed his feet on the sandy bottom of the river. He pushed and shot up through the water, quickly breaking through the surface.
He gasped for breath and yanked Peter's head above the surface as well. Arthur set Lily down and knelt at the edge of the bank, ready to help as Alfred made his way over. Alfred handed him the soaking wet boy and pulled himself out of the water. "Is he breathing?" Alfred panted out, completely out of breath.
Arthur paused for a moment and then nodded. "Yes, he's breathing, but I feel blood. He must have a nasty cut on his head. He's also shaking something fierce." Alfred nodded and grabbed his bomber jacket, wrapping it around Peter and picking him out of Arthur's arms. Lily looked up at the two men.
"I-I-Is he gonna b-be alright?" she asked, tears still streaming down her face as she shook with fear and cold. Arthur tried to get as much wet off of himself as he could before picking the girl up and holding her close. He wasn't exactly sure, but every now and then, you have to lie to protect.
"I'm sure he'll be fine, love," he said softly, stroking her hair. "Let's go home, alright? You feel hot. You're still sick, aren't you?" Lily nodded. "I figured they weren't giving you proper care in that home. It doesn't matter now. Are you ready, Alfred?"
Alfred nodded and pressed Peter close to him as they ran down the streets. He just hoped they would both be alright soon. He was a father now and had a duty to protect his children. He didn't want to see them hurt or injured or in pain. He was going to be a hero for his new family.
SORRY PETER ;A;
Yes, Vash is in this story. Yes, he and Lily are blood related. Yes, Lily was really that close to seeing him. No, you are not getting any more back story for a little bit :3
Please review~! They make me so happy and encourage me to keep writing!