Disclaimer: I don't own Axis Powers: Hetalia.

Tony "New Jersey" belongs to Not So l33t.

Charlotte "Vermont" belongs to beatles-revelution1204.

Casey "Washington DC" belongs to RubberChi.

Dan "Maine" (mentioned briefly) belongs to Capt. Hasting.

Tony stared at his phone, willing the slim object to start ringing. It had been exactly two months since his meeting with Washington DC and the other Thirteen Originals. The meeting had been a shock to all of them, especially Massachusetts. He had seen her around a few times since then and although she was always smiling, it came across a little forced. They were all worried. Robert's usually dull eyes were constantly filled with worry. They were always wondering about Alfred's sudden departure from, apparently, the face of the earth.

Everyday he hoped for a call that he knew wasn't coming. He tried not to be so morbid but he had a bad feeling about the whole situation. Alfred had always been, among many things, unreliable but this took it to a whole other level. He had never just vanished for a few months without some kind of warning beforehand. The times before the Revolutionary War were exceptions considering how long it would take to get to and from England's house. With the technology they had today it would have been easy for him to just send a short text message explaining where he was.

Even worse was the fact that they had tried to track Alfred's phone and it had been found under his pillow. The American loved technology and was not one to up and leave without bringing his beloved blackberry with him. He had been so proud when he'd gotten it. He had wanted to have the same phone as his new president and wouldn't settle for anything less. Upon its arrival he had forced the president to pose with him so they could take a picture together.

Eventually, Tony gave up on his hopes of somehow influencing his own phone to ring and got up to look out the window. He could see Vermont and New Hampshire running around the yard, enjoying the cool water that came from his sprinkler system. Lil' Devil, his partner in crime, chased them as they jumped through the jets of water.

Although they were both rather old states they were still kids at heart. Charlotte had just missed being part of the first thirteen by a year. She was the fourteenth state and was quite mature, appearing to be the age of eighteen, just like Tony. Due to her childhood spent with Canada she was very soft spoken but had picked up their uncle's kind heart as well. William was a little more rambunctious but was, oddly enough, the one to stay quiet at meetings, preferring to observe than object during arguments. Despite being the thirteenth state he only looked about fourteen years old. No one truly understood why they looked the ages they did.

Tony didn't like to admit it but he envied their ability to still be children. He had given up being a child not long after the Revolutionary War had begun and, unlike Massachusetts, had never been able to get his childhood back. That didn't mean he didn't like to get out and have fun; he just liked getting out and having adult fun. He knew how to party with the best of them. Being an adult also meant he had different responsibilities; however, he had never been a big fan of responsibilities and would, more often the not, just ignore them.

With Alfred being gone though, he had let maturity take over for once. He was the third oldest state and had to take care of his family. He needed to remain, the strong, carefree older brother he usually was. For the most part he really was care free and laid back but with this new stress it had been harder to maintain that part of his personality. Just like humans, the states weren't immune to stress and it was difficult for all of them to continue acting normally.

Tony was forced out of his thoughts by his phone, which had begun to ring loudly. He checked the caller ID and felt his stomach begin to tie itself in knots.

"Hello?"

"Tony, it's Casey."

"Oh hey Case! How's it goin'" he asked, trying to keep the growing apprehension he was feeling out of his voice.

"I'm not going to mess around here. Dad still hasn't shown up. It's time we began to tell the others."

"Oh. Ok." He swallowed before continuing "It wouldn't hurt to wait a lil' longer. He hasn't been gone for that long." Tony wasn't sure why he wanted to put off announcing Alfred's absence. Something about finally admitting it made it seems so final; like there was no way he was coming back.

"Anthony, he's been gone for almost three months. We can't keep pretending he's on vacation. Colorado, New Mexico, California, and Tennessee have all come to me, complaining that they felt 'off'. They all know something is up. We have to let them know."

"Alright…but this doesn't mean he's gone forever! He'll probably show up and all this will have been for nothing."

"I hope you're right, for all of our sakes. You're in charge of letting Maine and Vermont know what's going on. I'll be assigning the others to tell the rest of the states."

"Alright. Let me know if anything happens. Bye!"

Tony hung up with a sigh. By "anything" he had, of course, meant "you better tell me the second Dad shows up". He wasn't about to give up hope, even if it was in vain. He grabbed at his hair, pulling lightly. This was something he always did when he was stressed even though he knew it made his wild hair look even crazier. He dragged his hands down his face and looked out the window once again.

New Hampshire and Vermont were gone, as was Lil' Devil. He rushed toward the back door and threw it open. Anthony looked around his yard, his stress level slowly climbing when he couldn't locate William and Charlotte. It was bad enough that Alfred was missing but now he would have to explain to everyone how he had lost two of the smaller states because of his own carelessness. He looked at the sky and grimaced, the sun was beginning to set meaning it would be getting dark soon. Not only that, but he could also see as storm brewing in the east. If William and Charlotte hadn't been kidnapped (he was sincerely hoping that they hadn't) they would be stuck in a storm at night which could be just as bad. He had to find them, it was his job to look after the pair.

After a few laps around his house, Tony has still hadn't seen either of the states. He brought his hand up to lips and began to chew on his fingernails. This was a habit he had broken long ago but here he was, at it again. A loud clap of thunder caused him to jump as the storm got closer and the sun began to dip behind the horizon. Things had gone from bad to worse in only ten minutes.

Seeing nothing else he could do, he began to walk around his house one more time. They weren't by the shed or in his pride and joy, the garden. When Tony really thought about it, he would have killed them if they were in his garden. He had always had as soft spot for gardening. It helped him take his mind off things. He continued walking, praying he would find them.

"BOO!"

At that sound, the diner capital of the world jumped and turned to look at a now suspicious set of bushes. Out tumbled William and Charlotte, followed closely by Lil' Devil. The two states were laughing as they untangled themselves. Tony glared down at them, a frown clear on his face.

"What the hell were the two of you thinking? Don't do that again!" he yelled. His temper had always been rather short and this joke had set him off.

Vermont looked up at him, concern and puzzlement filling her fine features. Her eyebrows pulled up as she gave him a worried look.

"Sorry, Tony. Will said it would be a funny prank. We won't do it again, I promise." she said, her voice barely above a whisper. His face softened at this. He was always a sucker for a cute face and Vermont was no exception. She looked so sad that he couldn't stay mad.

"Who died and made you "Dad" anyway?" snorted New Hampshire. This question caused his temper to flare up yet again. He recalled the conversation he had less than twenty minutes ago. He had to keep up the happy act for just a little longer.

"Haha, sorry for freaking out there" he said sheepishly, fighting to keep a smile on his face, "I was just worried 'bout ya. There's a storm coming and I don't want you caught up in it at night!"

This seemed to satisfy Charlotte who stood up and offered her hand to William who used it as leverage to stand up. Lil' Devil rubbed against Vermont's leg and she happily pulled him into her arms.

"I'm glad he's warmed up to you. He can be pretty shy around strangers. Why don't the two of ya head inside and dry off. I want to have a quick word with Will."

"Oh, it's alright. I can wait."

"This is confidential. Only for states with "new" in their name." he said with a wink.

Charlotte just rolled her eyes and headed toward the house. After he was sure she was gone, Tony turned back to William. His grin fell from his face and let his mature side take over.

"I was serious. Don't you ever do that again. You have no idea how worried I was."

"I don't see what the problem was. It was only a joke. You like those usually."

"Yea well, usually I don't get calls from Casey saying that Dad still hasn't shown up and I have to tell the other states he's really missing."

Worry etched its way onto William's face at these words.

"Y-you're joking. He still hasn't…hasn't shown up?"

"Why would I joke about this? We have to tell Charlotte and Dan. The rest of 'em will be taken care of by the other originals."

New Hampshire only nodded as his eyes filled with tears. The thirteen of them always acted strong but few actually possessed the strength they tried to convey. William was no exception. It was rare that he ever showed his inner most feelings. Only something really troubling would bring him to tears. The last time Tony had seen Will cry was during the Civil War, an event that had scared them all.

He opened his arms and pulled the younger state into a hug. He was never big on displays of affection, preferring to just state his feelings rather than show them. There was just something about seeing his younger siblings in tears that caused him to open up.

Will wrapped his arms around his taller brother and buried his face in his chest. He sobbed into the grey shirt, not caring about how weak he was coming off.

"I d-d-don't want this. I w-w-want Dad to c-come home."

"I know, Will. I know. I want him to come home too." He replied, trying to calm the miserable state. There was nothing he could do for him; being there just wasn't enough. Alfred was missing and he had to stay strong for New Hampshire. For Vermont. For all of them. It was time to say goodbye to his care free personality and embrace the grown-up one he had been so desperately trying to forget. There was no doubt in his mind that Pennsylvania and Delaware would be doing the same thing. The three of them needed to care of their nation.

He guided William toward the door, forcing his familiar smile onto his face.

"Come on. We need to tell Charlotte."

Tony continued to smile, ready to face what was to come.

AN: Sorry for the long wait you guys but my life has been a little hectic. I'm not 100% sure about this chapter, mainly because I feel really cheesy when I write dramatic scenes. Plus, I'm not sure if I kept New Jersey in character enough…sigh.

Well…let me know what you think, if you want to. I want you to but I can't really control people. It's disappointing really because that would be an awesome power; I'm learning how to deal with that though. :P