Author: This is my favorite coupling. They're so cute! Okay and if any of you have couples that don't interfere with mine, then I'll put them in.

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Chapter Two: Without a Trace (Part One)

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England looked through the newspapers. The title was "Boston Tea Party." It had Sam Adams written all over it. Arthur read through the paper in disbelief. An action!? Not only are the colonists getting loud, but now they're acting! They're doing things to provoke England! To provoke the King! Those damn Sons of Liberty finally did something! England got on his coat and walked into the King's Court.

The King was talking to General Gage. Arthur listened to the talk and pulled out the details. More troops were to be sent to America. That meant more reasons to act on the Colonist's side. Was this going to turn into a war?

…

The roar of battle screamed through Arthur's ears. Bullets flew past his ears where they were once pierced. He saw America screaming to his men on the battlefield. Alfred didn't look like he was fighting for freedom. He looked like he already won.

Then suddenly, the red coats were gone. Alfred looked over to the opposing side. America looked at him. The cool rain washed away the blood on them. Alfred looked at Arthur. Their eyes met for a moment, but then they adverted.

"Hey England," America said. "I only wanted freedom after all. I'm not a child anymore, nor am I your younger brother. Now, I am seceding from you!"

There was a pause. Arthur looked at America. He wasn't the young kid that he had raised. Now, he was a nation. Arthur ran towards America on the muddy ground.

"I won't allow!" England protested.

He hit America's musket. The killing utensil flew out of America's hand. It flew outwards onto the ground. England pointed his gun between America's eyes. Thunder roared in the background.

England breathed hard, "Your incompetence is outstanding, you twat."

"F-Fire!" The nervous general shouted to the men.

The two nations heard the muskets load and they were pointed to Arthur. America looked at England, still stunned to move. Alfred's eyes were on the tip of the silver musket. He followed it as it lowered down. Why wasn't England going to shoot? America looked at Arthur.

"There's… There's no way that I could shoot, bastard!" Arthur said. The nation fell to his knees. He covered his face with one hand as the other hand dropped the gun. "Dammit! Why dammit!?"

"Arthur," Alfred said in a saddened tone.

A flashback played in Alfred's mind as Arthur was crying.

It was a sunny afternoon. The wind was blowing gently and the smell of flowers filled Alfred up. There was a hand in front of him. Alfred looked up and saw Arthur.

"Let's go home," Arthur said, smiling.

"Okay!"

The young British colony smiled and took the outstretched hand.

"You were so big then…" Alfred said. The rain hit them repeatedly. Alfred saw Arthur's shoulders shake. He was crying.

"It's our win boys," Alfred exclaimed to his men.

The soldiers cheered. They congratulated themselves for the win. They were free. As the excitement grew, Alfred walked over to his… enemy. He crouched down and looked at England. The older nation didn't remove his hand from his face.

"Arthur," Alfred said, "Thank you."

…

After WWII…

"Alfred!" The Spanish girl ran over to her boss, "Take me to Europe, please?"

The American looked at the girl. Her brown eyes pleaded for departure across the Atlantic Ocean. Alfred sighed and patted the girl on the head.

"Why do you want to go to Europe so badly?" Alfred asked, "It's almost like here… Only with more dramatic fountains."

The girl pouted, "I have a pen-pal in Europe. I want to go meet her. Plus, you can hang out with England or France! I mean, you guys are on speaking terms, right?"

Alfred looked at the girl. Her black hair looked like Japan's, but her face was like Spain's. She wore shorts and a jacket. She wore her hair in a pony-tail and had eagle feathers stuck in there too. She had hiking boots on and a colorful sash around her waist with the number '100' on it. On her right hand, she had a Mood Ring on it.

"Can't you go bother one of your siblings?" Alfred asked the interestingly dressed girl, "You have forty nine of them."

The girl stiffed and looked annoyed, "Texas is being all up in my face. New York is in his gangster faze. Northern California and Southern California are in a fight and I'm not going to choose favoritism. Utah and Nevada are off on a double date with Arizona and New Mexico. North Dakota, South Dakota, Oregon, and Washington have all decided to go on a road tip without me. Massachusetts and I aren't on speaking terms. Hawaii went to go visit Japan. Alaska is fighting with Kansas on e-mail. I don't even want to know what West Virginia and Virginia are doing with Delaware and Connecticut. Maryland and Wisconsin I think are having a drinking completion being judged by Illinois. Florida is freaking out about that hurricane scientists have spotted. Wyoming disappeared with Nebraska last meeting. Oklahoma is experiencing a tornado and I don't want to be there. Oh, and Tennessee is-"

"Okay," Alfred stopped her, "I'll take you to Europe. I guess I can talk to Arthur before the next world meeting…"

"Great!" The girl turned all happy again.

The girl did a little swirl and bumped into a table.

"Watch out-"

CLASH!!!

Arthur winced at the lighting flashing through his windows. The dreadful storm had woken him up this dreary morning. Arthur cursed again. He had hated the rain since… well… it was complicated. The blonde rolled over to his side and checked his digital clock Japan had given him. The clock's number's glowed a green nine thirty eight. The date followed shortly after… July 4th

Arthur groaned, "That makes Two hundred thirty four years."

Almost two and a half centuries since that bloody document was signed. Why this date annoyed his so much more then that other blasted date just a few weeks ago when he had los-

Arthur shook the question out of his head. He removed himself from the warmth of his bed. Today wasn't going to be a good day. He walked out to his kitchen and opened the cabinets.

Biscuits…

Scones…

Bread…

Tea…

He yanked out a package of his favorite flavor of tea. He took out one tea-cup and poured hot water into it. The tea package was then opened and plopped into the hot water. Arthur brought the cup to his lips and felt the liquid warm up his body.

Knock, Knock…

Arthur sat down on the couch, ignoring the person at the door. If it was Francis, then that would only mean trouble. Arthur took another sip from his tea when he heard the lock being undone. In alarm, he stood up and put down the teacup. He heard the door open then close. Footsteps down the hall sounded clunky, then no stops at all.

"Arthur!" A voice shouted out, "Are you here?"

The owner of the voice walked through the empty doorway and smiled, "There you are. I knew you were home."

"What are you doing here?" Arthur snapped, "I really don't want to see your face right now."

The taller nation pouted, "Aww, cut me some slack Arthur, I've been standing in the rain for nearly an hour."

"I don't care if it was three!" Arthur shouted, "And how did you get in here? I never gave you a key!"

The brownish-blonde smiled, "It was still under the hat of your garden gnome. I'm glad that that hadn't changed."

Arthur glared at his intruder. He sighed and finally sat back down and pouted, "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Because I…"

"Holy crud," A new voice perked Arthur's ear, "I never knew how many dramatic fountains Europe owned."

Arthur looked up and saw a new face. She looked like a Native American Indian mixed up with Spain and Japan.

"Oh!" Alfred smiled, "This is one of my states!"

"Your state is here?" Arthur looked at him, "Why?"

"I'm not just any state," The girl gloated, "I'm state who was pronounced on the one hundredth year of independence. I'm Colorado, or Amber Centennial. Nice to meet you, England." She smiled and held out her hand.

"I thought your nickname was 'Colorful'," Alfred said.

In a blink of an eye, Amber turned around and had the coldest glare that it could have started another ice age, "Call me the damn Colorful again, I swear by the gods, that I will have to break your limbs."

Alfred shivered. Amber turned around, happy and smiling again.

"Well, I got to go!" Amber exclaimed, "I don't want to keep my pen-pal waiting!"

The American girl skipped off out the door, leaving the two nations in dead silence.

"Interesting state you got there," Arthur finally commented, "And what about 'Colorful?'"

Alfred sighed, "All my states have a nickname. She had two, but she thinks colorful doesn't do her justice so she still goes by 'Colorado, the centennial state.'"

Arthur nodded, feeling horrible that he had asked. Amber was declared a state right in 1876, one hundred years since England lost to the Colon-

"Can I use one of your beds?"

The posed question pulled Arthur out of his dream world, "Why?"

"Right now, at the airport that Amber and I left at, it is currently eleven fifty at night," Alfred said, "There is a ten hour time difference between us and you. Plus, a hero needs his rest."

"Fine," Arthur obliged to the request, "You know where the bed rooms are."

Alfred quietly thanked him and walked out to the hallways once more. England sighed and picked his tea back up. It was slowly getting colder. Arthur placed the tea cup back on the coffee table and sprawled out on the couch. It was silent in the house again. Nothing stirred. England stared up to his ceiling. He glanced at the chandelier. The glass reflected the light to make a rainbow reflection on the walls. The storm broke the silence and brought Arthur back from his daze.

DONG! DONG! DONG!

"Ten o'clock," Arthur whispered, "In America, it would have been the start Independence Day."

Arthur sat up again and noticed that his book wasn't were it should have been. Arthur stood up and went to go search for his book. He walked into his bedroom to not only fine his book, but the hero.

Alfred's face eased up from his average emotions. His glasses, jacket, tie, boots, socks, and vest were taken off and throw carelessly on a chair. He looked younger, more innocent, and less dangerous. Arthur walked over to the nation and touched his hair. It was as soft as he remembered it.

"Dammit," England cursed, "Why you of all people?" Arthur leaned over Alfred and kissed him. "Why did I fall in love with you?"

From his frustration, Arthur didn't notice the small gasp of a young region that came back for her camera. Amber sneaked away from the two. England was in love with America?

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Author: Sorry for the little, "Aww, America doesn't know!" thing at the end, but it's a start. I'm switching between pairings every chapter, so… to be continued.