Not Over Yet

Part 8

"It's going to suck, you know."

"I know, but I do not have another choice, da?"

Alfred ran his fingers through his golden hair and sighed. He was grateful, for sure, but it did not ease his conscience. It was a couple hours after daylight and two of Alfred's house guests were long gone, staying only long enough to see him rise and apologize before they left. His house was also strangely clean, and not the normal clean either. Jackson kept the place pristine, but it was even a step above. Alfred himself called it the "white glove clean," and that was no affectionate term. He had always made it a point of never visiting someone's home if it was "white glove clean" and was weary of that person in public. People like that tended to have some issues at least every now and again. Now that he thought about it, Arthur went through cycles of having his house "white glove clean." Alfred shuddered.

"If we are going to have another treaty, Fredka, this is the first step." Ivan continued.

Alfred nodded, "I get what you are saying, but you are going to need all the luck you can get to pull this off."

Ivan smiled, "Nyet. I will not need luck, just magic."

Alfred snorted, "Dude, magic does not exist. Say whatever you want, but your pipe just hurts when you get hit by it."

Ivan chuckled softly at this. Alfred could believe whatever he wanted but magic was very real and the Russian's pipe was magic. Even the American's own brother and sister knew, not that the two would ever tell him. Said duo where moving about in the kitchen and an increasingly powerful aroma was wafting from its direction.

"Breakfast, da?"

"You know it." Alfred laughed, "Enough to feed an army or two since both Jackson and Nikki eat as much, or more, than I do. There will be plenty if you want to stay for it."

Ivan glanced at the kitchen's entrance and caught sight of Nikki flitting between various sides of the room carrying far too much kitchenware and food each trip. She always insisted to help as much as she could. As tempting as it was, and was it tempting, he shook his head.

"No, I need to go home."

Alfred smirked, "And freeze to death? Or should I say prepare for us to freeze to death?"

Ivan hummed in response, "I suppose that works, too."

Alfred glanced back at the kitchen when a particularly loud clang rang out and his smile faltered, "You get that nothing is set in stone right?"

"Then I will set it myself." Ivan stated sternly.

The American sighed, "Whatever, it looks like you just won't listen to reason."

"It will happen, Fredka. Just do your part and leave the rest of the world to me."

"That worked so well the first time." he scoffed.

"It did, actually." Ivan practically whispered, causing Alfred to sigh again.

"I said I was on board, so I am. I will not come to the next meeting."

"That is all you have to do, Fredka—"

"No it isn't!"

The two's gaze immediately fell on a determined child still in her blue kitty pajamas with a properly dressed teenager behind her, looking rather amused. Alfred immediately found himself smiling. Nikki was so adorable, and Jackson was in his own right no matter how much he hated hearing Alfred say it. Even Ivan was smiling at the child, not a trace of his usual miasma or coldness.

"What else does he have to do, little one?" he asked softly.

Nikkita suddenly looked pretty amused herself, "He has to have faith in you, of course, like I do."

Ivan's eyes widened a bit at first and his smile grew. He really should have been used to this by now. He had known all three of the Jones' household for a very long time and they all had this side to them. Light, he supposed it could be called? However, he knew better than anyone that light could burn just as much as it could heal. It was also—addictive. When lost in darkness you search for light and you have to have so much time in the sunlight to be happy and healthy. It was a natural thing to desire. It was natural to desire something so warm, especially when you were so cold.

Alfred flashed a toothy grin, "Of course I believe in him, Nikki! If I did not think he was capable, the Cold War would have never happened in the first place."

Jackson quirked an eyebrow, "So the world would have been safe from your football analogies?"

Alfred suddenly looked a little sheepish, "You had to bring up the worst of it, didn't you?"

"Sorry for mentioning that the entire Cold War was a time where people thought there was going to be a nuclear holocaust any second." he deadpanned, "And you two did not help by threatening each other with it."

Ivan suddenly started giggling and reached out for Nikki, swooping her up into his arms. The two immediately noticed that he covered her ears.

"Yes, we both know that Alfred does not play with nukes. Hawaii is technically in Southern America after all."

Jackson flushed, "That is a—"

"A technical detail that the rest of the globe does not have to know." Alfred finished, "He feels a bit of everything I do, even if he feels more after a certain latitude. He is a part of me after all, but not really a defined territory."

The southern teen sighed, touching his forehead with his hand before proceeding to shake his head, "It hurt, but I am not the only reason we dropped the atom bomb. Nor would it have anything to do with whether or not you two destroyed the world."

Alfred shrugged, earning a glare from the teen, and continued, "You were hurt worse than I was, and were prepared for nuclear war just like I was. You, too, Commie."

"Da." the Russian admitted.

"The world was one 'touchdown' away from going up in smoke." Jackson murmured, his eyes narrowing on Alfred, "If you ever try to 'pass the football,' I will intercept every time. Who even thought to call a briefcase that can launch the world into nuclear war a football, anyway? I do not even want to know."

Alfred grinned, "It does not even matter right now. So! Now that we are all significantly depressed, let's talk about something else—and give Nikki her hearing back."

The black-haired child was more than grateful to have Ivan's hands removed, proven by the fact that she shook her head like a dog as soon as she was freed.

"Finally." she muttered.

That was all it took for the three others in the room to break into a much needed laughter. It was not like their previous topic had been tense, they had long accepted it as part of their history, but it was still too serious, and depressing like Alfred had said, to be talking about at this time in the morning. Besides, they all had more positive things to be looking forward to, like breakfast and vacation time. Wait, that was just for Alfred, Jackson, and Nikkita.

"I have to be going now." Ivan confessed after his laughter had begun to calm, "No one will get in my way, I promise. See you all very soon."

Then Russia was gone, leaving Nikki at the doorway after a prolonged hug. Alfred sighed, taking in both the sight and the smell of various breakfast foods.

"We'll have to see about that, Iv." he grumbled, before starting the march into the kitchen.

Jackson soon followed, leaving only Nikki at the door. There she sighed herself.

"He will not win, big brother, we all will, even if I have to assure it myself."

"Nikki, breakfast will get cold!" called Jackson.

"Coming!" she cried, catching one last look at the door before galloping into the kitchen, "I am counting on you, Vanya."