A/N: Hi! So, I want to explain that I will have to go to school on Monday, and that will make it somewhat difficult to get chapters out very often, but I am still going to try!

In this chapter it involves Francis and Joan, but I want to explain that in their dialogue it should all be French, but I don't speak French and it would probably be annoying other people who don't speak French if everything they are saying is in that language.

I don't own Hetalia, and I really think it goes without saying, what with me writing fanfiction for it.

Winter Break Part Two:

Arthur gagged when Flying Mint Bunny said that. And then he remembered what had been the missing gap that separated him from the others, and knew she wasn't lying.

He... had caused this? And for what? To change things? At least that had worked. He looked at Flying Mint Bunny and reached out and hugged her. Tears had started to trickle down his face. He was such an idiot. Everyone would hate him when they found out. And then it would go back to the way it was before all this. And he did not want that to happen.

So, Arthur would have to prevent that from happening. He would make sure that they wouldn't find out, wouldn't remember the last few minutes before they died, because he knew that most of them could recognise magic when it was strong enough to kill and resurrect people who were supposed to be almost immortal. Maybe...

He could try to keep them from figuring out anything else. That would work, probably. And then... what?

He dried his eyes and Flying Mint Bunny flew back into the air and began apologising, "I'm sorry, I wasn't supposed to tell you, but you made me! I'm sorry, I'm so so so sorry!"

Arthur was numb. But he still needed to comfort Flying Mint Bunny and said, "It's okay, I made you do this, so it isn't your fault and don't even begin to think it is."

Flying Mint Bunny smiled, which would probably be terrifying on most rabbits, but fortunately Flying Mint Bunny could pull it off because otherwise Arthur would never talk to her again. "You seem different now, England..."

Arthur sighed, "It is probably age difference. When I died I was... twenty-two? Twenty-three? Regardless, since I am only thirteen... well, there should obviously be some differences."

"No, I knew you when you were physically thirteen, and you were still different. Remember? That was just a few years before you found America," Flying Mint Bunny said, though this didn't make any sense to Arthur. "What do you plan on doing now?"

Arthur shrugged, "Try to keep them from figuring any of it out. That's all I can think of."

Arthur talked to Flying Mint Bunny for a while longer, until he felt ready to go back to his room. There he found Alfred still on his iPod, and the younger looked up from his bed where he was sprawled out and grinned, saying "You were gone for quite a while. How was your walk?"

"Good," Arthur said, quickly, feeling almost the same awkward way toward Alfred as when he had learned they were countries, though the memory itself fit he still felt guilty.

Alfred flipped over so he was looking at Arthur upside down. "So, dinner is pretty soon, and I figured maybe we could check out the food and get first dibs. There will only be about fifty students as some kids are having dinner out or whatever, but we should still call the best food! I'm starving!"

"I guess there isn't anything better for me to do," Arthur said, and Alfred's smile dropped at his uninterested words, though he quickly recovered and grabbed Arthur and dragged him out of the room, while Arthur screamed at him. This seemed to be normal for the two of them.

After they reached the cafeteria and saw that the cooks and student assistant cooks were setting up, they had nothing to do but find their table and sit, waiting. It was very boring.

Alfred kept talking on and on about anything and everything, and finally, just when Arthur thought his ears were going to start bleeding, Lovino walked up, Matthew trailing behind him, distracted by whatever book he was reading and still walking. Matthew gracefully tripped and crashed into Lovino, and both of them fell on top of Alfred and Arthur and they all started laughing, even Lovino, who was uncharacteristically happy, though Arthur didn't know why.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, it's just this is a really good book... it was my favorite as a kid..." Matthew apologised between his giggles, and stood up, still laughing.

Feliciano walked up at that moment carrying a plate full of food and Alfred stood up without a word and ran to get some, though the others didn't mind waiting a bit at all. "Ve~ what happened? Why is fratello laughing?"

Arthur grinned, and finally stopped laughing to say, "You just happened to miss a great dog pile, that's all."

Lovino stood up, and realised he was still smiling and went back to his customary frown, though his eyes still looked bright and happy, "Fuck you all, I am going to go get some food since it seems like they are FINALLY serving real Italian food. Thank god they asked you to help cook, Feli."

Arthur nodded and followed Lovino to the food, and Matthew followed after him.

After the dinner that was perfect, they played games and stayed up, watching the Disney movies that Alfred's parents had gotten and Arthur was able to blocked out his new knowledge, rather enjoying listening to Alfred and Feliciano, and even Matthew, once, singing to the Disney songs, and mocking Alfred for when his voice cracked during a higher note of Under The Sea.

And it wasn't until they finally got into bed that Arthur finally felt sad and guilty again about what had happened, even though it was several years ago.

It was the day after New Years, two days before Francis had to go back to school. He had been staying at his Mother's, but spending all of his free time at the hospital where Joan was now staying. He would just sit for hours and talk to her, until her voice became quiet and raspy and he made her rest despite her protests, and hug her and feel how thin she had become.

It physically hurt him sometimes to see her. Over Skype you really didn't see everything, and Francis realised how bad she actually was, her eyes were hollow and had dark circles beneath them, her skin was translucent, and her beautiful hair was dull and no longer as light as it had been in the summer when he first had seen her running with the small dog. But he still loved her.

Of course he did. It would make him the worst person in the world if he didn't.

He had been sitting in silence next to her in her bed, arm around her shoulder as she read her book aloud to him, as a distraction from how tired she obviously was. It was a good book, some American classic, and so they were able to sit for over an hour while Joan read.

Joan finally stopped, and she leaned her head back against her pillow, and she sighed, her eyes closed. Francis asked, "What is wrong?"

Joan shook her head. "Nothing, I am just tired all the time now... And..." she trailed off, her eyes becoming slightly unfocused as her thoughts consumed her. Francis kissed her gently. He hated having to leave soon, hated that she was sick, but he couldn't say any of that, because it would make Joan sad and apologetic.

And she seriously couldn't afford to become sadder, so Francis acted like he was fine, because it probably wouldn't help her to know that her boyfriend was an emotional wreck because of her. Joan still seemed cheerful and hopeful, though Francis noticed that she was worse than when he had first come for winter break.

After she apparently fell asleep for half an hour some nurses came and checked her, like they had two hours before and two hours before that. It only took a few minutes, but it irked Francis that he couldn't just be alone with her, though that was pretty greedy of him, since he stayed even past visiting hours had ended.

These checks always made Joan even more tired than she had before, and that also annoyed Francis, because shouldn't the nurses make her feel better? But he still was able to restrain himself from speaking, for Joan's sake.

After they left a doctor came, much to Francis' surprise. This had not happened before. "Excuse me sir, could you leave while I run some extra tests and speak with Miss Joan in private?" The Doctor said, guiding Francis out the door.

"Okay, but I will be back as soon as you are done," Francis responded as he passed through the doorway, it being firmly shut behind him.

Francis didn't know what else to do, so he placed up and down the hall, until he realised that he was hungry, since he had skipped breakfast to come to the hospital early, and it was almost evening. He went to the entrance where he grabbed a croissant and a cup of coffee and walked back to Joan's door. He leaned against the wall next to it and ate the croissant and drank the instant coffee, and then went back to his pacing.

Finally, finally, the doctor left the room and he rushed back in to see Joan leaning back, her eyes closed and tears making wet trails down her face. "Joan? Joan? Are you okay?"

She blinked open her eyes and held out her arms, and Francis ran over to her and hugged her before sitting down beside her and grabbed her book, because he knew that she would tell him about whatever it was that was making her sad, and scared to find out. He read aloud this time, letting Joan rest her head against his shoulder. Finally, Joan interrupted him. "I feel so unoriginal, dying of sickness. In this book, Beth does, and then in other books, like that Fault in Our Stars one, the boy also dies of cancer. I always thought I would go out spectacularly, or at the least die of old age."

Francis turned to her and registered something, "You are not going to die, not for years. You will get better and we will get through school and then live together, and you can choose to die spectacularly or to wait until you die of old age, but you are not dying now. Remain hopeful, and then we can see that you get better, and then you can come to my school with me a land we will be happy, together," he said, desperation creeping into his voice, when part way through his speech she had just sighed and leaned against him again, and he saw the tears on her face again.

She smiled sadly at him, "That doctor today... He came because something was wrong, something that shouldn't be. He told me that what he was testing for, if it was there, would mean that I was going to die. He was very kind, but he still said it very straight to the point, and said that in about a week they would know, though there was an eighty percent chance of me having it. I don't want to die, I want to do all of the things I dreamed of, but I know that is probably impossible. I-I thought that I could make it, and then I could stay with you, but I guess I can't," she explained.

Francis sat in shock, before finally saying, "No, you cannot give up. There is still a twenty percent chance, and those are decent odds, so you can fight through this," he let out a shaky breath, wanting to still look fine, "I will stay with you up until an hour before my flight to go back to school, and then you will need to call me if anything ANYTHING happens. Now, let's finish this book," and Francis started reading again, trying to pretend he wasn't crying.

A/N: I seriously never guessed that this fic would be over twenty thousand words, much less thirty, but I guess considering the plot it does have to be pretty long.

So, the book that Matthew was reading when he tripped is the original Winnie the Pooh, because I read this Headcanon that England had Winnie the Pooh based off of Canada and Kumajiro.

I will also be forever grateful if someone guessed which book Joan and Francis were reading together.

And, finally, please review! I love reviews so much and they do seriously motivate you more than almost anything.