Omake
Amelia finally understood Alice.
All of her life she had never understood what possessed her mother/sister/caregiver to cook when it would always turn out horribly wrong. Still she would always try to make Mattie French foods and Peter Finnish and Swedish foods When Alice's other colonies visited there would be the occasional attempt at Indian, Chinese, or whatever it was they ate in the land down under. When asked, though, Alice would always say she didn't want anyone to get homesick and that cooking was a way to show that you cared for someone.
Amelia had never understood it, until now; standing in front of the dining table, staring in horror at the bubbling mass in front of her. She had followed the recipe and when she had taken it off the stove it looked right; what happed in the five minutes she had left it alone? It now looked nothing like the picture and she doubted that Ludwig would look like the happy man in the picture when he saw the table full of foods she had prepared.
It wasn't like she could leave his heroic deeds unrewarded, though. He had almost accidentally caused world war III in a misguided attempt to defend her honor; it was adorable. However, the "Thank you for the unneeded rescue" feast she had been attempting to make was not looking anything like she had imagined. A glance at the clock showed that she had an hour and a half until Ludwig showed up. Mattie offered to come by early to help her finish dinner (when he learned she would be cooking). He should be here any moment, just as that thought crossed her mind the sound of her doorbell ringing sounded through the house.
Ludwig's POV
It was fortune that he had run into Matthew when he had arrived early, he had learned that the more subdued sibling was going to help Amelia cook. Quickly he had offered his assistance and refused to take no for an answer; it was bad enough that the star spangled nation had refused to allow him to bring anything.
"My sisters cooking can be a little… apocalyptic," Matthew said hesitantly as they rang the doorbell, obviously uncomfortable with the idea of his sister cooking.
"I can't help but imagine you are exaggerating…" He started to respond, but before he could continue the completely adorable Amelia opened the door. Flour was coating her hair and a bit of dough was stuck on her nose.
"Oh, Ludwig," She said, looking startled. "I wasn't expecting you for another hour at least." She looked at her brother wide eyed, as if to send him some kind of message.
"I arrived in town early and when I ran into Matthew, I offered to help." He explained with a smile, surly it wasn't as bad as others made it seem.
"Oh, you are so kind," She said but still looked uncomfortable with the turn of events.
"Where would you like me to start, Mia?" Matthew asked in a tone more like a General about to enter a battlefield than a brother helping his sister cook.
"Why don't you and Ludwig go check on the dumplings on the stove, I think they are turning out right. I need to run to the store and get more eggs. I'll be right back," She answered, grabbing her purse and running her fingers through her hair, trying to rid it of the flour before practically flying out the door.
Ludwig started walking towards the door that Amelia had gestured at when talking about the kitchen.
"Wait," Matthew grabbed his arm then drew a large bush knife from nowhere. Oh dear lord, the quiet nation had been so nice recently that he had almost forgotten just how terrifying Matthew could be. Before he could make a hasty retreat and go shopping with the less homicidal of the North American siblings, Matthew continued, "Rule one of dealing with Amelia's and maman's cooking: Never enter the kitchen unarmed."
"What are you talking about?" Ludwig asked looking at him confused and a little concerned. However, instead of answering Matthew released his arm and crouched slightly holding the knife slightly higher before slowly entering the kitchen, gesturing for him to follow. Unsure as to what was happening, He crouched down slightly to follow the other man into the kitchen; once in they both froze at the sound of rattling coming from the stove.
"I knew it was too good to be true that it was actually turning out," Matthew said, his voice just audible to Ludwig.
"Surely it is just boiling water, or something similar," Was Ludwig's doubtful protest. It was sounding like an animal was trapped in the pot trying to get out.
"If only… I was warning you about Amelia's cooking abilities and it seems like you'll be sticking around so you will need to get used to days like this." The Canadian said looking at him seriously. "Above all else, Alice and Amelia don't need to learn they can do this. It is a secret that has been kept from them for centuries."
"What are you talking about?" He asked, feeling dread pool in his stomach.
"Alice and Amelia can't cook." Matthew started and Ludwig felt instantly relived, everyone knew that. "They can, however, create food monsters that tend to be downright petrifying." He finished causing the larger man to pause.
"What…" Before Ludwig could finish his question the pot on the stove and what seemed to be hundreds of tiny swarming… wait were those the dumplings?
The next half hour marked the strangest battle of his life, fighting alongside Matthew who was apparently more experienced with these kinds of things. At the end, though, they were both exhausted and laying on the kitchen floor too tired to do much more than try to catch their breath. Around them were the remains of the "dumplings" smeared on every surface of the kitchen. Suddenly, there was a skittering noise next to Ludwig's head and before he had a chance to run, Matthew rolled towards him and stabbed the creature before it reached him. The sound of a door slamming made them both look at the door surprised.
"Mattie! I know my cooking can be a little unappetizing, but really you didn't need to destroy the dinner I've been working on all day! The dumplings were the only one thing that was looking right," Amelia shouted looking horrified at the mess that was now her kitchen.
"Mia, uh… I don't know what to say," Matthew said struggling to get up and Ludwig quickly helped him stand as they faced the angry woman. She paused, looking at the two of them hesitantly.
"At least you're not trying to kill each other, I guess." She started looking around at the splatters on the walls. "So, Pizza?" was the blunt question that she obviously wasn't waiting for an answer to as she picked up the phone and started to call for delivery. Within an hour the three of them were sitting around the table eating pizza. Across the table the two men nodded discreetly to each other in understanding.
She didn't need to know the truth. EVER.
An: Thank you all so much once again for your reviews and support. I had a request from pansy25 for a family initiation story about Amelia cooking something for Ludwig. I don't think I will be doing one about the bet just because honestly I am not sure on how I would write that. I hope you guys enjoyed this.