Alright! I think it's freaking amazing how someone writes to me about how I update frequently and then I update like over two weeks ago! I apologize for the short delay but yeah I can finally say this: SUMMER BREAK! Yeah I finished work for the summer, so now I'll have some time to waste on here more often (I hope I just didn't jynxed myself there!)

By the way this was by far the hardest chapter to write for me. I kinda wrote 3 different versions and decided to go with this one (which happens to be the last one I wrote).

A few more chapters to go! Enjoy!

Matthew dropped to the ground, exhausted as he ran away from Alfred who was now the one counting. They had been playing hide and go seek for what seemed like an eternity – he remembered clearly that the sun had been on the other side of the sky when they had started – and though he knew that his twin brother was most likely not as tired as he was that he still would have a chance to get to the flag before he would find him.

For weeks now they played that game or any other type of games just as long as it was played outside. They were always together, no matter where they went (besides when they hid from each other) and they simply couldn't complain about that: they were happy, and they were what each other needed.

Matthew remained lay down on the grass, looking up at the sky as clouds passed by. He always loved watching the clouds dance around freely like that; it reminded him of peace and made him forget what their father had in plan for them. Yes… they were to be separated in a few weeks and it broke Matthew's heart to know that soon he wouldn't be able to play outside with his brother like they did now.

"Why aren't you hiding anymore?"

When Matthew realized that his eyes were closed he slowly opened them, thinking that he had probably fallen asleep while he waited for his brother. His vision came clear and he saw that Alfred was looking down at him with a sad expression on his face.

Matthew gasped as he figured out that Alfred had probably been looking for him for over an hour. He sat up as fast as he could, flailing his arms around. "Brother! I'm so sorry! I guess I was staring at the clouds and I just fell asleep!"

Alfred sat next to his brother, sighing.

"You don't want to play with me anymore?" He asked Matthew, tears forming at the corner of his eyes.

Matthew panicked. "No! No! Brother I do want to play with you! I swear!"

It was a little surprise for Matthew when Alfred leaned his head against his shoulder; usually it was the younger twin that showed any sign of emotion like this, so for some reason it seemed strange that Alfred would suddenly be this way. Had he been angry? Had he been scared?

Had he cried?

Matthew rose his head up and looked at the fluffy cotton white clouds once more. He feared what to say, knowing that any trigger would cause for Alfred to be angrier about this little incident. And then, as the silence became too thick and the silence as awkward as it could get, he heard his brother sigh.

"Don't you ever do this to me again; I don't want you to leave me – to forget about me – EVER!"

…

Matthew woke up in panic, letting a loud gasp as he almost fell backwards on his chair. "Had this been a dream or a memory?" He couldn't help but to wonder as he rubbed his eyes to see clearer, remembering where he was and how he got there…

"Good. Then I want you to get rid of France. Permanently."

That's right: Alfred's last words to him a couple of days ago had been clear. Something inside Matthew's heart had broken that day, and since then he hadn't been able to face anyone, not even his own brother, father or new friends he had made.

Instead he had decided to retreat to his old office where the cold took over his body and mind. He had to think straight about this, and he had to be sure that his heart was at the right place.

"Of course it is!" The thought came to Matthew like a flash of white light. It pained his head and he tried to ease that pain by rubbing his temples with his hands. "Look at you, sulking on the floor like an idiot while you know it deep down where you are needed!"

It was true that while his desk had been transferred to Alfred's office that it meant that he had to sit on the cold floor. Not that he had to, but in his mind he couldn't afford to request his desk again while it remained in his brother's office, nor could he think of going in there to continue his work…

Not that he had been working much.

He held on his stuff teddy bear like his life depended on it. It had been the only thing that had held him to his brother all his life and now it seemed like it was the only thing that wanted him around…

It was strange though. While he had taken all those dark hours to think about what to do there hadn't been one moment of doubt that he couldn't do it. All that truly mattered was to make his brother happy. His only wish right now was a simple one:

I want to stay with my brother.

xXx

When he got off the floor all those hours later it had been because his stomach had threaten him to get something to eat before he would throw up whatever bile he had remaining inside of him. He felt his body had weakened and he wondered if he could even get up the stairs to the cafeteria. The smell of whatever had been cooking brought intense cravings that pushed Matthew up the stairs some more. When he finally managed to get food in a tray he sat by himself, knowing perfectly that his brother would never show up in the cafeteria, not even to sit down with him. He ate slowly, picking on the pieces of curd cheese over his French fries and managing to eat his poutine without ketchup – the color of the liquid reminding him far too much what he had to accomplish soon.

Never in life had he ever felt this desperate, but the problem deep down had been that he feared of what he was desperate of. Through all of these years he had learned to face the fact that his brother had been chosen to become the leader – the Hero – of this world while he was just the guy who worked in the storage room office.

"Just remember that up until you and I were reunited no one actually gave a fucking damn about you." Matthew remembered Alfred's words in the office after his previous demand. He had whispered the words in Matthew's ear, with a warm breath that felt urgent.

And it had been true. Britain – their own father – had been absent from pretty much every decisions in his life since the brothers had been separated, and ever since France had helped him against Russia's demands the conversations with the Frenchman had pretty much been about his family members; as if he was looking for a new way to torment Britain.

He was used. No body cared about him…

Matthew thought about the day of the fight in front of Britain's office.

…

Alfred did care about me.

xXx

The sound of thunder made the walls shake around him. Sitting in his dark corner near the fifth floor staircase he wondered where his sudden courage against the thunder and lightning had come from. Perhaps it had something to with the fact that he still hadn't eaten nor sleep since the meeting with his brother, and he felt it inside of him: the death cold freezing his entire bone structure, his eyes black with exhaustion and his whole entire self shaking like a leaf. He was sick and he knew it but deep down he knew he couldn't get any better until he achieved what had been asked of him.

He had to do this for the one he loved.

Matthew waited most of the day in his hideout, waiting for the right moment to come. He didn't know how many hours he had remained there but he knew that no one would have been looking for him anyways, unlike Germany's rifle that he was currently carrying in his arms.

And then it happened, like a flash: realizing that he had to wake up from his thoughts once more he heard steps arriving to the fifth floor – a floor reserved for the European Union – and he knew that the moment had come.

It was the moment of truth; the moment to prove to his brother that he loved him and that no matter what happened he would always be there for him like a slave…

Like a servant.

As the whistling music of La Marseillaise echoed along with footsteps the Frenchman seemed happy. Clueless as to what was hiding in the shadows he continued on towards his office until the one shot was heard.

France's national anthem had been heard for the last time.

It had been a clear shot in the back near the heart of the Frenchman. It had been a coward way to do it but Matthew didn't care; the body had been dead even before it had hit the ground which meant that Matthew had done the job right.

Brother will be so proud of me!

But he had to show the proof of what he had done. He had to make sure that everyone would see his love for his brother and just how grateful he was to the one person that had actually cared about him and had worried about him all those years apart.

Looking around him for anything that could help him Matthew found the emergency fire hose on the wall near Belgium's office door. Natural human instincts took over him and soon enough he had the hose attached around the dead body's neck and threw the body over the balcony railing that showed every storey of the building.

When screams began to erupt from the lower floors Matthew felt relieved.

"They know about it now. They know just how much I love my brother! I'm so happy!"

As he walked away, throwing the gun aside he smiled. A warm tear ran down his cheek and for the first time in however how long ago that meeting had been he wasn't cold anymore.

"What have I done?"