And here we are with the second chapter! It's a little bit shorter than the first, but I hope that you all enjoy it nonetheless. Thanks so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites! It's so motivating to see that readers hold an interest in this story.

Along Came Arthur

Chapter Two

"Alright. Good job, everyone! Let's be finished for today," Francis instructed. Alfred, Mathias, and Antonio walked off of the set, and Alfred picked up his cell phone from a nearby chair. He clicked it on, bringing life to the screen, and glanced at the time. The large numbers stated that it was 4:23. He smiled, pleased that filming finished almost half an hour early.

"Alfred! Antonio and I are going to run over to In-N-Out Burger. Want to join us?" Mathias asked, jumping slightly with excitement. Alfred shook his head.

"I can't today. I have to go pick Arthur up from the airport. Thanks, though," he replied.

"Oh yeah. I forgot that the kid's coming today."

"Yup."

"Ah, yes. The little one arrives today! I am so excited for you, Alfred!" Francis walked over to the actors, placing a hand on Alfred's shoulder. "You must bring him to work with you! I would like to meet your little cousin, d'accord?" Alfred chuckled slightly before agreeing. "Good, good. Now, leave! All of you! Enjoy your afternoons!"

The trio cheered before they walked toward their respected trailers to change. Once finished, they walked towards the parking lot.

"Are you excited to have Arthur staying with you?" Antonio asked. Alfred paused for a beat before nodding slowly.

"Yeah, I am. I mean, I'm not gonna lie, it's going to be kind of weird. I've never even met him. But it'll work out, I'm sure." Mathias scoffed, earning a glare from Antonio. Alfred chose to ignore him, knowing well that the Dane was unhappy with the situation. But it wasn't exactly as if he suddenly had to look after a child!

The trio approached Alfred's black, Ford F-150 first. Alfred sighed as he pulled his keys from his shorts pocket and unlocked the vehicle. Antonio clapped him on the back and shot him a comforting smile. Alfred smiled weakly back before climbing into the truck. He started the engine and turned up the radio volume, deciding to drown his doubts in the familiar beat of one Jason Aldean's songs. He took a deep breath and pulled out of the parking lot.

The drive to LAX lasted about twenty minutes, and Alfred soon found himself inside the airport waiting for Arthur. He stood for a few moments before finding a nearby chair in which to wait. A few moments later he began to play around with his phone. Each time he noticed a group of people pass by he checked for Arthur. His aunt had sent him an email several days earlier containing Arthur's flight information and photograph, and Alfred was confident that he would be able to recognize the mess of blond hair immediately. And he did.

As the fourth group of people passed, Alfred caught sight of an airport attendant holding the hand of a skinny, blond boy. The boy held a small bag in his unoccupied hand while the attendant rolled his larger suitcase behind them. Alfred smiled and stood to greet them.

"Are you Alfred Jones?" the attendant asked.

"Yup! That's me."

"Do you mind showing me some ID?" Alfred flashed the attendant his driver's license before the attendant handed him Arthur's suitcase. He released Arthur's hand from his before gently ruffling the boy's hair. Alfred did not miss Arthur's look of annoyance.

"It was nice to meet you, Arthur. Have a nice stay with your cousin!" the attendant said before leaving the cousins behind. Arthur watched him walk away before turning to face Alfred. Alfred, unsure of what to do, gave Arthur a little wave and a smile.

"Hey, Artie! It's nice to meet ya! I'm your cousin, Alfred. Are ya hungry? I was thinking we could grab some dinner somewhere or we can head straight back to my place if you're tired. I know you've spent all day traveling, so if you just wanna relax that's fine."

"Arthur."

"Hm?" Alfred questioned.

"My name is Arthur. Not Artie," the boy stated calmly. Alfred's smile faltered slightly.

"Oh. Sorry 'bout that, Arthur." An uncomfortable silence passed between the two as Alfred waited for an answer to his earlier question. When he supposed that he was not going to receive one, he held his hand out for Arthur to take. "Alright, well, let's go to my car." Arthur stared at Alfred's outstretched hand before taking it hesitantly.

"So, Arthur," Alfred began, "what are some things that you like to do?" Arthur shrugged, eyes somewhat distant. Alfred decided to continue the conversation. "Well, I like to act and surf. When I was kid and living in Texas I liked to horseback ride alot. Mostly barrel racing and stuff." Arthur looked at Alfred.

"You like horses?" he asked, curious.

"Sure do!" Alfred exclaimed, excited that he had elicited some sort of response from the boy. "I guess you do too?"

"I like unicorns," Arthur replied.

The duo walked out of the airport and made their way across the parking lot. Arthur allowed Alfred to lead him, not having the slightest idea of how his American cousin's car looked. When the pair finally approached Alfred's truck, Arthur audibly gasped.

"This is your car?!" Arthur cried.

"Yeah, it is," Alfred said, frowning at his cousin's reaction. "Is something wrong?"

"It's so big!" Arthur said. He stared at the large truck in awe, eyes wide as they took in the details. Alfred chuckled.

"I guess being from Europe you're not used to seeing too many cars like this, huh?" Alfred ask, pride lacing his voice. Arthur simply nodded in affirmation. Alfred proceeded to store Arthur's suitcase in the truck bed. He then turned to Arthur, looking the boy over in thought. Arthur squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze.

"What?" he asked.

"Let's seat you in the back. You're not big enough to sit in the passenger seat," Alfred decided. Arthur released an annoyed huff but resolved to listen to his cousin. Alfred opened the back door, trying his best to hide his smile as Arthur stared up at the heightened seat. The boy took a deep breath before throwing his small bag into the truck. He then reached up to grasp the leather of the seat in his small fists as he jumped against the side of the truck. He scrambled onto the seat, face turning a light shade of scarlet from embarrassment, and pointedly ignored Alfred's amused chuckle.

Alfred shut the door before climbing into the driver's seat. Before starting the car, he turned to ask Arthur his earlier question.

"So, do you want to stop to get something to eat or just head straight home?" Arthur shot him a small glare.

"This isn't home."

Alfred sighed and dropped his head. Alfred thought that things were fine just a minute ago. He found out that the kid liked unicorns! Alfred lifted his head to look at Arthur again.

"Look, Arthur, I know that this is hard, and I'm really sorry about your mom. I know that you don't want to be here or live with me, but you're here now. We may as well try to get along, yeah? You might even find out that you like it here!" Alfred tried. Arthur sat with his arms crossed as he contemplated his cousin's words. After a moment of thought, he turned his attention to the window. Alfred sighed again and started the truck. He was met with the voice of a familiar DJ.

"You're listening to 105 FM's Go Country." In the rearview mirror, Alfred saw Arthur's head shoot forward to look at him.

"Country?" Arthur asked. Alfred nodded enthusiastically.

"Sure thing!" Alfred turned the music up excitedly as he recognized the beginning of a song. "I love this one, dude! Stick with me and I'll teach you the lyrics!" Arthur watched his cousin bob his head up and down with the beat of the song as they pulled onto the highway. The entire truck seemed to bounce with the music as Alfred began to sing along with Luke Bryan.

"Hey, girl. Go on now. You know you got everybody lookin'."

Arthur scoffed indignantly as Alfred smiled at him in the rearview mirror. Alfred ignored this and continued with his singing.

"Got a little boom in my big truck. Gonna open up the doors and turn it up. Gonna stomp my boots in the Georgia mud. Gonna watch you make me fall in love."

Arthur closed his eyes and leaned back against his seat. It was indeed going to be long drive back to Alfred's.