When Lily woke up, Arthur pushed aside any work he might have had and read her a book. She rested her head against his shoulder and listened, enjoying the comfort the stillness brought her. Alfred started supper, fish and 'chips' as requested by Arthur. Arthur was not a good cook and, honestly, Alfred was not anything special. Still, it was decided that to avoid the apartment burning down, Alfred would handle the cooking.

Arthur woke Peter up, but didn't want to move him from the bedroom because of his concussion. So, he brought Peter his own plate and let him eat it in bed. The boy ate as much as he could which was slightly more than half of his meal. Arthur felt that was good especially for a sick boy with a concussion and allowed him to have some ice cream as a treat. Peter stayed awake until about eight when his body finally decided it was time to go back to sleep.

At seven, Lily was allowed to see Peter and the two sat and talked until the boy fell asleep. Peter sent Lily to bed at nine and he and Alfred stayed up to do some figuring. It was going to take a lot of money to care for the kids, but Alfred promised that they could do it. Seeing the look in his husband's eyes, Arthur knew that it was possible. He had never had a reason to doubt Alfred before.

A week later, Peter was up and moving about. He still had a concussion and was prone to bad headaches every now and then, but it was getting better and that was the important thing. The time he wasn't in bed, he was sitting on the couch. Arthur refused to allow him to go out and play, so Lily stayed inside with Peter except to go shopping with Arthur or Alfred to get some fresh air. However, the apartment building did have a small yard in the back that was hardly ever used, so when Peter was all better, Alfred promised to buy them a soccer ball (or football as Arthur insisted on calling it) to use outside.

Alfred was down at the office on this Saturday afternoon. His case was starting to come to a close and all that was left was the court case. He sometimes practiced in front of Arthur what he was going to say and Arthur told him even he would be able to make a case for something like this. Still, it was bringing in the extra money they needed and Alfred would get a small bonus if he won the trial. Plus, winning the trial would earn him more 'brownie points' with the bosses, though that had never helped before. Still, Alfred had never lost the trials he was given. Surely they would realize his amazing skills as a lawyer.

Arthur sat on the couch, reading a small novel while the two children watched the television. During the week, Peter would slouch or rest his head on the few pillows they had, but now he was sitting straight up. Arthur would steal glances at the two both to make sure neither had nodded off and out of pure shock. It had been a week since Alfred and Arthur had adopted the two children. Sometimes Arthur would forget and the shock would be both surprising and amazing. He loved having the children. He loved waking them up and getting them ready. He loved sitting and talking with them and even just sitting in silence, knowing they were there.

He glanced up at the time. It was a little after one in the afternoon. The children had eaten a small lunch at noon which would hold them off until supper. Speaking of which, Arthur realized he had to do the shopping that day. However, Alfred wasn't there to watch Peter as he had been a few days before. Arthur sighed and looked over at the children.

"I need to go grocery shopping, loves, and I can't leave you two alone." They looked over at him, Lily looking curious and Peter glaring.

"You don't trust us?" he accused. Arthur gave him a look and shook his head.

"Of course I trust you two, but Peter you have a concussion that you have yet to recover from." He paused for a moment. "But, you haven't really been outside much except for sitting on the front steps of the building for some fresh air. If I manage to hurry up, I'll take you with me. Sound good?" Lily smiled and nodded. She decided she liked going shopping with Arthur. Peter looked at him for a moment before smiling and nodding. He was secretly dying to get outside and have some fun.

Arthur placed a bookmark in the book he was reading and set it down on the coffee table. "Alright, then you two. Go get your coats on and we can get going." A few days before, they had been able to buy a few more outfits for the two children including winter coats. They couldn't get them anything fancy or especially nice, but it was something for them to wear and keep them warm during the winter months.

It was the beginning of December and the two adults felt it was best that they didn't start school so close to when they would have winter break. After the vacation, they would enroll the two children in school. That would also give Peter time for his head to fully heal. For now, though, they would just work on getting the two settled and happy in their new life.

Arthur went to the kitchen to get the check book and see how much money they would have. Lily and Peter got their coats on and Arthur came back to get his. Taking their hands, he led them out the door and onto the chilly streets. Not having a car was a slight disadvantage. It would have been nice to get in a comfortably heated car and not have to carry all the bags home, but they simply didn't have the money.

They reached the small supermarket and Arthur pulled out a cart just inside the front doors. "Now, don't go running off," he said firmly, skillfully pushing the cart with one hand and holding Lily's hand with the other. "If you're good, I'll let you pick out a small treat, alright?" They had an extra few dollars this week for their groceries. Why not let the children have a small treat? Alfred and Arthur didn't have a lot, so the children weren't going to be privileged or spoiled in any way, but they wanted to make the kids feel at home and loved.

Peter nodded and held onto the side of the cart with his right hand as he looked around the large store. He hadn't been inside a large store such as this before and he had never even dreamed of seeing so much food in one place. It was really amazing to him. Lily felt the same as she looked with wonder at the towering shelves filled with food, candy, and sometimes even small toys.

Arthur looked down at the children kindly, smiling to himself at how amazed they seemed. Their eyes darted around with wonder at the store and if made Arthur happy to see them in awe. He went through the aisles, picking up the food he needed. He never bought the good brands, only the cheap ones and the store brands.

Finally, the cart was filled with food and Arthur started wheeling it over to the register. He was thankful that the kids had been good. Lily wouldn't have run off anyway and Peter was too amazed to wander around by himself. Of course, being himself, Arthur was also worried that Peter was tired from his concussion, so he wanted to get him home quickly.

After paying for the items, Arthur picked the bags out of the cart. He handed a few bags to Lily and a few to Peter, carrying most of them himself. He told the two to stay close and don't wander off because the city could be dangerous, even during the day. Though, he probably didn't need to tell them that; they more than likely already knew.

They were almost home when a hand reached out and grabbed Arthur's shirt, pulling him back against a wall. Lily screamed and Peter looked around in confusion. Arthur was pinned to the wall by a dirty looking man with a knife. Arthur dropped the bags, making the glass tomato sauce can smash all over the cement ground. He glared up into the man's stone cold eyes and struggled, but the man held him firm, poising his knife at Arthur's throat.

"Mr. Arthur!" Lily screamed and started to run to him, but Peter held her back. The man looked down at the children and grinned evilly, making Lily cry. Peter was afraid, but refused to show anyone that he was.

"Leave Arthur alone!" Peter shouted with a big voice. The man didn't speak. Instead, he turned to the kids and held the knife out to them. Lily yelped and hid behind Peter, but the boy didn't move.

"Peter! Get Lily and run," Arthur shouted at him, noticing the boy not moving. "Get help, but go!" Peter looked up at Arthur with fearful blue eyes, meeting Arthur's firm emerald ones. He pushed Lily away from him, making the girl look at him with confusion.

"Go get Alfred," Peter instructed her and pushed her off towards home. He, however, stayed put and glared up a the man. "Let jerk-Arthur go you big jerk!" he shouted and ran forward, kicking the man in the shin. The man grunted and Arthur's eyes widened.

"Peter, get Lily and go!" the Brit shouted. "Don't start taking after Alfred's hero complex! Go!" Peter looked up at the green eyed man with confusion before shaking his head. He snapped back to see the man grab at him, but he was able to jump back in time.

"You run, jerk!" Peter shouted. Arthur glared at Peter but moved from his place on the wall. He jumped away from the man and watched as the criminal chased Peter a few yards down the sidewalk. He started to run after them, but skidded to a stop when the man toppled over and fell on his face. Peter seemed surprised as well and turned around. The man cried something out about his leg and couldn't stand up. Both blondes stood frozen, watching the man when suddenly a small ball of fur wriggled out from under him.

"A cat!" Peter exclaimed with a smile. The feline shook its fur and blinked, looking up at Peter. He was a large cat, up to Peter's knees. He had snow white fur with a brown mane around his neck. His tail wagged like a dog's as he bounded over to Peter and nuzzled against his knee. The boy reached down to pet him. "Thanks! You totally saved us!"

Arthur cautiously walked around the fallen man and made his way to Peter. He took the boy's hand and rushed him down the street and around the corner. Peter protested, but let the older male pull him when he saw the cat following. Lily was waiting around the corner with tears staining her face. Arthur smiled at her and wordlessly pulled her into a hug while the scared girl cried.

"Look, Lily! A cat! He saved us!" Peter smiled and showed her the white and brown cat. Arthur looked at the animal warily.

"A car? Bloody hell, Peter, that thing looks more like a dog!" Arthur said, examining the cat as Lily smiled a bit and pet him. "I mean, just look at him! He's the size of a small dog; no there are dogs small than that!" He frowned at the animal, but couldn't help but think he looked like Alfred in some way. Speaking of the American git, he must be worried sick. "Come on, we have to get home or Alfred will freak out." He looked back and saw that only half of the grocery bags had survived the attack; the ones that Lily had been carrying, two of the ones Arthur had, and a plastic jar of peanut butter. With a sigh, he took Lily's hand and motioned for Peter to follow him.

The whole trip back to the apartment, they had no idea that the large cat was following them, lured by the smell of peanut butter.

"Thank God you're home! Where the hell were you?" Alfred yelled as the other three entered the house. The American made his way to them from the couch, the phone still in his hand, and pulled Arthur into a hug. "I got home three hours ago. I saw your note, but I thought you'd be home way sooner! I mean, dude! I almost called the cops!"

"I'm fine, Alfred. We're all fine," Arthur sighed and hugged him back. He placed a reassuring kiss on Alfred's cheek and hung up his coat with the kids before shutting the door.

"Well, what happened?" Alfred asked, the worry not disappearing from his voice or eyes. He studied his husband and the kids before noticing a scratch on Arthur's neck. "Where did you get that? Arthur!" Alfred cried worriedly and gently touched the small wound. Arthur sighed and placed his hand over Alfred's.

"We were attacked on our way back from the store. I'm fine, the kids are fine, there is no need to worry." Alfred's eyes widened and he looked from Arthur to the kids.

"Oh my God! See? This is why I go to the store! I can fight them off! How did you manage to get away?" Alfred asked. Peter smiled and came over to them, Lily following behind.

"It was so cool, Alfred! I kicked the evil guy in the shin and ran and then he tripped and fell, so I looked back and we just sat there and all of a sudden this huge cat crawls out from under the bad guy so I guess the cat tripped him!" Peter said in one breath. "It was so cool!"

"A cat?" Alfred asked with his eyebrows raised. Arthur rolled his own emerald green eyes and took the surviving packages to the kitchen, laying them on the counter as he moved around to put everything away.

"More like a beast," Arthur said bitterly. "The thing was huge! Up to peter's knees at least."

"I wonder where he went..." Peter thought aloud.

"Who cares?" Arthur snapped.

"It's getting colder out this time of year," Lily said. "I hope he's okay. He was so cute!" She sat down on the couch and Peter sat next to her. He looked over at Alfred who went to the kitchen to put away the groceries. However, the American stopped short with a gasp.

"NO! NOT THE PEANUT BUTTER!" He shouted mellow-dramatically. This made Arthur jump and nearly drop a glass jar of pickles. The kids flinched at the sudden shouting and tried to see what Alfred was looking at.

"Bloody hell Alfred! How many times do I have to tell you to not shout like that!" Arthur glared and spun around. "I am ever so sorry if the peanut butter was lost whilst the kids and I were attacked. Why, I can't believe—" He stopped short and looked at the sight on the counter.

Apparently the cat had followed them home and slipped in through the open door. Smelling the peanut butter, he climbed onto the counter and started to lick it through the crack, making the crack a little wider and the peanut butter virtually unusable. The kids jumped up and look, both with a huge smile on their faces.

"The kitty!" Lily squealed with joy.

"He followed us home!" Peter smiled and pet the cat who shook his head, but otherwise focused on the peanut butter. Alfred looked utterly heartbroken, Arthur looked both pissed and confused, and the kids were overjoyed.

"Can we keep him? Please?" Lily begged.

"Yeah! Please, jerk-Arthur! Please!" Peter whined and pet the cat protectively. Before Arthur could say no, Alfred snapped out of his peanut butter heartbreak and smiled at the cat.

"Sure!"

"NO!" Arthur shouted. "We can barely afford to keep the kids. And now you want to adopt a smelly, dirty, stray cat? Hell no." The kids whined, as did Alfred much to Arthur's annoyance. The American came over and hugged Arthur.

"Please, babe? He likes peanut butter! That ain't too expensive!" he reasoned.

"Isn't." Arthur corrected. "And no, we are not keeping a cat!"

The three whined again, but Arthur held firm. "B-But," Lily whined. "He's so cute! And it's getting so cold now! What if he gets hurt or sick or cold?"

"Then that's his problem," Arthur said coldly and picked the cat off the table. He let out a meow of protest as he was lifted. "Bloody... This stupid cat is huge!" Arthur struggled to lift the cat up and ended up dropping him. The cat looked longingly at the peanut butter, but decided it was best to hide from the Brit. So, he hid behind Alfred's legs since he was the tallest in the room. The American smiled and rubbed the cat's head.

"I say we keep him," Alfred declared.

"I say we don't." Arthur snapped.

"But he's soooo cute!" Alfred whined.

"So?"

"Soooo, I'm cute and you don't throw me on the street!"

"Well, I ought to." Alfred whined and Arthur huffed.

"Fine. We can keep it—"

"Him," Alfred corrected. "He's a dude."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Fine, 'him.' We can keep him if you're going to bloody whine about it." Alfred and the kids cheered. The cat must have understood and meow-ed happily.

"What should we name him?" Lily asked.

"How about... Peanut?" Peter suggested.

"No," Alfred frowned. "That's too generic. Too obvious..." His eyes then widened. "I got it! Nugget!"

"Nugget?" Lily asked.

"Why Nugget, I dare ask," Arthur sighed.

"Like a chicken McNugget!" Alfred explained. Arthur hit his head with his palm and sighed again. Lily and Peter smiled brightly.

"I like it!" Peter said.

Lily smiled. "Me too!"

"Well, then welcome to the family, Nugget!" Alfred grinned. Nugget meowed again and jumped on the counter to eat more peanut butter.

That night when everyone was asleep, the white and brown cat climbed onto Alfred and Arthur's bed. He curled up at their feet and fell asleep on the soft blankets with a sigh.

Finally a new chapter! ^^ Yay~ Ameri-Cat is now here! Everyone names him Hero, so I thought I'd be different and name him Nugget~

Next chapter should be a Christmas chapter where Arthur gets a BIG surprise~

Sorry for the huge delay. I'm trying to get inspiration for ALL my stories. But whatevs. Hey, follow me at kittyfaeriex . tumblr . com (no spaces). That's my Tumblr which I have grown addicted to!

Anyway, review please ~ Thank you so much for your support!