Chapter 14: The "Gentleman" and the "Lady"

It had been days since the incident had happened but the hostility between Alice and England was still at an all-time high. The two were constantly fighting and nagging each other so one night England decided to go out to the pub so that he could get away from Alice who was left home alone. While alone, Alice grumpily sat on his couch while knitting a scarf, thinking of all the things she hated about England.

"Stubborn Jackass," she huffed to herself, then her knitting becoming more rapid and violent. She decided to wait for him to come home so that she could give him a scolding for being so rude to a lady.

The clock struck two o'clock though England still wasn't back from the pub; strangely enough, Alice was actually becoming worried. She began to contemplate on whether or not to go out and look for him when the phone rang, nearly giving her a heart attack. She walked to the phone and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"A- *hic* lice? That you?" It was either a drunken hobo or England.

"Y-yes, is this England?" Alice answered back.

"Mayyybbeee."

Alice took notice to the change of tone in his voice.

"You're drunk."

"And you're sexy, but that's not the *hic* reason I called." It surprised Alice that he would say something as straightforward, but then she remembered he was probably too drunk to comprehend what he was saying.

"What do you need you fool?" She was agitated by his lack of self-control around alcohol.

"Can you pick me up?"

"Why? Where are you?"

"Prison."

Alice mouth went agape when he said this. She couldn't believe he had actually gotten himself arrested. "You git, what did you do?!"

"I got in a *hic* little argument with a foreign dandy. Can you come?"

Alice sighed, "alright, just don't do anything stupid in front of the cops."

She hung up and walked out the door into the light rain, not bothering to get an umbrella. Since she didn't have her driver's license or any money, she had to walk all the way to the station in the dark to pick up her drunken host. After ten minutes of walking she finally reached the station.

She walked in and went up to the police man who was watching Dr. Who on a small TV on his desk. "Excuse me mister, I'm here to pick up a friend."

The man looked up at her with a tired and agitated face. "We've got all kinds of weirdoes here tonight, be more specific."

Alice was surprised by the cop's abrupt rudeness towards her, and it strained her to not tell him off. "His names England, he's got blond hair, bushy eyebrows, and is severely drunk."

"Aye, I know who you're talking about. That one wouldn't shut up for hours. Come on, I'll show ye too him." He got up and walked Alice over to a small cell that was harboring a very drunk England inside.

"Hey, you're being bailed out by yer girlfriend here." Alice shot a disgusted look at the cop but refused to say anything in fear that she would be thrown in as well.

"H-hey there Alice, where have you been?" England slurred playfully.

"I've been at home while you were out drinking your ass off. Now come on, I'm tired." Alice hissed back.

The cop unlocked the door and England stumbled out then fell onto the floor. Alice ended up having to support him up by letting him lean on her shoulder. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Alice thanked the cop and they were off into the rain which began coming down harder. "Did you bring an umbrella?" England mumbled.

"No, I was too preoccupied on finding you." Alice's dress was soaking and beginning to way her down.

"Hey Alice?" England whispered while he was trying not to pass out on her shoulder.

"Hmmm?" She answered back.

"Why are you here?"

Alice stopped walking and accidentally let go of England when he said this. He fell into a wet puddle but he was too drunk to react so instead he just sat there, letting the water soak into his trousers. Hail started to come down so Alice dragged the English man out of the puddle and they took cover under a café's tarp; the two sat down on a wooden bench that was placed against the wall of the dark café. England looked over at Alice who was wringing out one of her ponytails.

"Sooo, why are ye hear?" England asked again.

"Because you were in prison," she answered tiredly.

"N-no, I mean *hic* why are you HERE?!"

Alice knew what he was getting at but for some reason she didn't want to talk about it. "I don't think I know what you mean."

"HERE, in this world." England poked her in the arm.

"You wouldn't remember if I told you, you're too drunk. Honestly, how could you call yourself a gentleman?" England's head fell on her shoulder and she pushed him back up only for him to fall on her shoulder again.

"Please tell me, I could use a good *hic* story right now."

"Fine, if you insist." She looked at the cut on her arm that she had gotten from the fall and then she looked at into the rain.

"My friends and I didn't really come here on purpose first of all. The only reason we ended up here was because everyone thought it was a good idea to jump through a teleporting machine created by our scientists."

"Why you need to build something like *hic* that?"

"Well, originally it was so that we could find more allies to help us fight in our war; you see, right now our world is being attacked by these monsters called Kaydoms, and we're losing the fight. Too many people have died in war and it's honestly becoming too horrible to bear." She looked over at England who had fallen asleep on her shoulder, but she was too tired to react correctly.

"You bloody drunken fool." She chuckled to herself and ended up falling asleep on the bench as well.

The sun was just peeking over the horizon when Alice was shaken awake by the café's manager.

"Are you okay." The manager asked.

Alice took a moment to figure out what was going on. "Oh, yes. Can I help you?"

"Actually yes. I need you two to leave the bench." The woman looked at her kindly.

England woke up groggily and yawned, then put his hand on his head in pain from his hangover. "What the hell happened last night?"

Alice looked over at him and glared. "I had to pick you up from prison you drunk git."

"I most certainly did not! What really happened?"

"Believe me or not, but you owe me a new dress."

The manager broke the constant glare they were giving each other. "Um, I don't know what's going on here but we're opening up soon and I need you two to leave."

England and Alice apologized to the woman and hailed a cab back home, but things only got worse during the ride. Alice, who was still wearing a cold and wet dress, began to feel hot and shaky, and England took notice. So, out of nowhere he put his hand against her head.

"You're burning up."

"I'm fine, don't touch me." Alice's voice was strained.

England paid the cab driver and the two of them walked into his house where he then forced her to lay down on the couch to rest. Alice thought to herself that she must have caught a cold from being in the rain.

"Stupid England, getting me sick," she mumbled to herself while England was making her tea.

England came back in and gave the girl the tea and felt her head again. He knew it was his fault she was sick, and honestly she should have just left him in prison until morning. He felt even worse when he thought of how rude he had been to her over the last few days.

"England?" Alice mumbled, her breathing becoming slightly heavier.

"Yes?"

"Can you unbutton my dress?" Alice turned onto her stomach revealing a line of buttons going down her back.

"WHAT?! What kind of lady asks such a thing?" England stood up, shocked that she would ask him something like that out of the blue.

"My dress is wet and it's uncomfortable, so please unbutton it. Also, could you get me some other clothing to wear?"

"Oh…uh…right." He felt a little dirty after realizing what she actually wanted.

England uncomfortably unbuttoned her dress and left to find some clothes for her to wear, but he came back in the middle of Alice taking off her dress and ended up seeing her lingerie. Alice saw him and quickly covered herself up with the blanket.

"You pervert!"

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't realize you weren't done. I just came to give you some different clothes." He covered his eyes and handed her a black shirt and pajama pants.

"Oh... Thank you." She grabbed the clothes and quickly put it on while England stood in front of a wall in shame.

"Okay, I'm done." England turned back to Alice whose face was becoming red from her cold which was getting worse.

She fell back down on the couch and pulled the blanket over her body and shut her eyes, shivering slightly. England walked up to the couch, sat by her feet, and began reading a newspaper. Then a thought hit him.

"Did I do anything other than get arrested last night?" He asked nervously.

Alice looked up at him then put her head back down. "Hmm, you fell in a puddle, demanded a story, and called me attractive over the phone."

"Uh, sorry 'bout that." He awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, trying to remember anything that had happened last night.

"It's fine, but please don't drink that much ever again. I don't want to have to save your ass from prison on a regular basis." She giggled under the blanket while England hid his face in the newspaper.

"Just go back to sleep." He muttered.

-Almost got through everyone. All I have left now is China and Russia then we can get back to the main plot. :D