Matthew Williams,

At the time of my writing this, I have only just read your letter. It will likely dismay you to know that I have reason to share your concerns. Alfred did not react well to this information. He has seldom left his room for much more than occasional nourishment or bathroom breaks. I do believe your letter got to him, somehow.

However this is not the first indication of strange behavior, which is one of the reasons I have for writing to you. His moods swing violently from one end of the spectrum to the other. Occasionally he stares off into nothing with a blank look the likes of which I have only seen on seasoned veterans.

The Civil War still weighs heavily his mind.

There is something else. Something that disturbs my most base instincts in a way that cannot be quite described. A dark, unbalanced quality that only surfaces in rare moments and lasts for a matter of seconds. But it worries me more than any of the other symptoms previously mentioned. Alfred would know what I was referring to, but will not speak of it. I must optimistically assume this to be something his own kind is more equipped to deal with. There is little comfort I can provide, even as his President.

It would be in everyone's best interests if we collaborated on this venture to get Alfred out into the world and socialized with others like him. If you seek to reconnect with your brother, as I suspect the case to be, then you are invited to come here to the White House and speak with him in person. I would suggest that you give no forewarning. Alfred might find out about your impending visit, and disappear. He's very good at that. I'll do my utmost to keep him in the same room as you for the length of at least a conversation when you arrive.

Apologies for the possible inconvenience-I could not get him across the border if I tried. This is the best I can do.

Very Sincerely,
Theodore Roosevelt
President of the United States

Canada stood up so suddenly that his desk chair tipped back onto the floor with a clatter.

He'd taken more than a few liberties when he sent a World Meeting invitation to his estranged brother, along with a personal letter imploring him to at least try to reconcile. He didn't know what he'd expected, but it certainly wasn't this. This was…

'This is bad.'

On one hand, he was happy to finally have a chance to see his brother. There was little enough for him to do here, anyways. He could slip away and no one would notice his absence for days. And with a foreign power's leader backing him up, there was literally no possible backlash from this end. But on the other hand…President Roosevelt's description of Alfred's behavior was not conducive to peaceful nights.

'I have to tell Britain.'

That's be what a dutifully loyal possession to the Crown would do. But still he found himself hesitating. It was England's idea in the first place to send a letter. But he had not authorized the Meeting invitation. If he found out about it, there would be consequences.

'Maybe I'll tell him afterwards.'

Better plan. A temporary fix for a problem he was going to have to address later, but serviceable for now.

Despite his sudden sense of urgency, Canada forced himself to slow down for a moment. He didn't want to go in blind. He didn't know what to expect from an isolated Nation, even if it was his brother. But who could he talk to…?

He could get a telegram to France in a day, and receive an answer by the end of the week. Francis was just old enough to possibly even be familiar with the situation.

'I just hope I'm not too late.'

Almost two weeks of scarcity, along with many more trips outside of the grounds than would make the strictly President comfortable, had lead him to believe that America had all but decided to cut off their tentatively formed bond entirely.

Hence his surprise when Theodore Roosevelt found Alfred waiting for him in his office one morning, reading through one of the many papers he'd scribbled his thoughts on to remember later.

Roosevelt stepped further inside the office, hand out to snatch the writing away from curious fingers. "Don't you know better than to read other peoples' documents, Alfred?"

"Mm." Alfred pulled the paper closer, avoiding the swipe. "Hold on."

"Whatever it is, it's not ready," the president fairly growled.

The Nation finally looked up, glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose. "Really? 'Cause it seems like you've thought it through pretty well." He seemed reluctant to relinquish his hold, but did so anyways.

Roosevelt skimmed the page. It was a short rant about the sheer disregard to exceptional heritage sites, natural landscapes, and animal habitats that…

'Oh.'

"This is…something I've chewed over rather often," Roosevelt admitted. "In my travels across this great continent, I've seen wondrous things. Things that shouldn't be destroyed simply for their potential real estate value. With work, I believe that these things can be saved from those who would see these gifts exchanged for monetary value."

"You think so, huh…" But America looked thoughtful. It was a something, at least. "But what about progress? This kinda sound like…going backwards."

"Is it not progress to grow in morals and appreciation?" Roosevelt returned the tentative challenge with the philosophical equivalent of a thrown gauntlet. "To learn what is truly important by remembering what lead us here in the first place? Or is your version of progress the one that sends underpaid workers into the steel mills so that they might somehow get two pennies together and purchase bread for their families, while rich businessmen and bankers play at being cruel gods of greed? The cost of these small advancements we have made for the sake of industry are not so small. Underneath this age of amazing technological achievements, is an equivalently polluted underbelly of slums and decimated species. You should know that better than anyone."

America was silent.

"Food for thought," Roosevelt finished with a dismissive wave. "Now unless you've something else for me, I really must be getting to work. Congress is doggedly determined to bog me down-If only they could refocus their spiteful intent, we'd be ahead in every sense of the word!"

THERE! A double update. Because I know I love double updates so perhaps some of you are of a similar opinion?

HISTORY TIME!

Make no mistake-Theodore Roosevelt was an avid hunter. He probably would've used Bambi's mom for food, and turned Cecil the Man-eater into a rug. However he wasn't the kind of hunter to be shooting buffalo from a moving train and leaving the carcasses to rot. Nor was he in favor of hunting species into extinction or inadvertently causingextinctions through careless development. He also had a great appreciation for nature and the exceptional wonders of the Earth, and so worked hard to get the National Parks established and protected through what I think was called something like, 'The Antiquities Act'.

Thanks for all the favs, follows, and reviews everyone! They're awesome, of course, as always. Tell me what you thought in a review, pretty please?

Later dudes. ^J^