The two sat quietly in the taxi as it drove them from a short way outside of Paris to Gare du Nord so they could catch the last train from the French capital to its English counterpart. It took them about half an hour which was spent in silence. When they arrived Arthur paid the driver and retrieved the suitcase with Francis' clothes in it and the briefcase he had brought with him, carrying both in one hand while holding Francis' small hand in his other. He quickly purchases two tickets on the Eurostar and hurried to catch the train.
Once they were seated and the suitcase safely stowed, Francis across from him with his back to their destination, Arthur pulled a map out of his briefcase and set it on the table between them.
"Look, Francis," he whispered, not wanting to disturb any of the other occupants. "We're here." He pointed to Paris on the map. "And we're going to take the train to here." He moved his hand to point at London."
The boy studied the map for a few minutes before asking, "What's the big blue stuff between them?"
"Water."
Francis' eyes widened and he looked at Arthur in surprise.
"How is the train going to cross the water?"
"We're going to go under it," he replied simply. "There's a tunnel."
"You can do that?" Francis cried, excitement radiating off him and jumping up in his seat.
"Yes. Modern technology is a marvel," Arthur answered, gently pushing Francis back down.
While Francis entertained himself with the map, the English nation took advantage of the remaining cell service and called his assistant. He asked her to arrange for a car to be waiting at the station in a few hours.
"Did you figure out why France has been so distant lately?" she inquired.
"Yes. Call a meeting with Cameron and Hollande. Do whatever you have to do to make sure they attend. This is extremely important."
"Is France alright? Does he need help?"
Arthur watched the boy in the seat across from him who was fascinated with the passing scenery and babbling happily in French.
"He…" He passed, unsure of what to say. Technically France was mostly fine, he was just a child for some reason. "He needs help so I'm bringing him to London with me. We'll figure out what to do tomorrow."
"Alright."
"Keep this meeting confidential. No one outside of the four of us need to know it happened."
"I promise you I will make this happen."
"Thank you."
He hung up and a few minutes afterward they entered the tunnel.
During the dark ride Francis kept himself occupied by asking questions about Europe and England and by playing with the map. His energy seemed endless and it drained Arthur of his own. When they finally made it to London Arthur picked up the two bags, took Francis' hand again, and led him out of the station to where his driver was waiting. The man took the bags from him and opened the door for them. Arthur and Francis slipped into the back while the driver put their bags in the boot before getting into his seat and starting the car.
With a sigh Arthur leaned back into his seat and closed his eyes while Francis stared out the window. A couple minutes later he felt something pressing against his shoulder. Looking over he saw the boy was leaning against him fast asleep. A small smile graced the British nation's face. The boy had finally tired himself out and was quietly snoozing next to him. He gently shifted the child so he could lay down and use his leg as a pillow.
They arrived at Arthur's home about twenty minutes later and Francis was still asleep. Rather than wake him, he carefully got out of the car and scooped him into his arms. The driver followed with the bags and opened the door for him, setting the bags just inside the home. With his hands free, the driver continued to follow him through the house, opening doors for him until they reached a small bedroom.
Arthur laid Francis on the bed and tucked him in, whispering his thanks to the other man. The driver took this as his cue to leave and did so. Arthur doing the same. Once the front door had been locked and the alarm activated, Arthur changed and went to bed.
The next morning Arthur woke up at 7:30, still rather tired after his late night the night before, and slipped out of bed. He walked down the hall before stopping in front of the door to the room Francis had slept in. Knocking quietly he called the boy's name only to hear a quiet whimper in return.
Curious, he opened the door to find an empty room. Taking a look around he found the room to mostly be in order besides an unmade bed and the door to the wardrobe ajar. He opened the doors to see Francis sitting on the ground with a frightened expression.
"Francis," he asked softly, kneeling down to be on his level. "Are you alright?" He kept his tone smoothly to keep himself from further startling the boy.
"W-Where am I?" Francis whispered, blue eyes large from his fear.
"You're in my home in England, remember? I found you yesterday and brought you here while your father is away?"
The boy nodded slowly, still uneasy.
"I-I thought it was a dream…I was alone for so long that I thought no one would ever come…"
Arthur felt his heart twinge at the obvious pain in the child's voice. No one should be alone and feel like they would always be that way.
"It was real. I'm sorry if I scared you. I'll be here for you. Are you going to be alright?"
"Y-Yes."
"Good. Would you come out of there and get dressed? We have to go somewhere today."
After Francis quietly agreed Arthur helped him out of the wardrobe and once he was sure Francis would be alright, left him to dress. 'Stupid,' he thought on his way back to his room. 'Stupid. Of course Francis would be afraid. He woke up in an unfamiliar place all alone. I should have thought of that.' He continued to silently berate himself while he pulled on a gray pinstripe suit and a matching gray tie, brushed his teeth and hair, and leave the room.
Francis was waiting in the hall, still in the clothes from the day before.
"Why aren't you dressed?"
The boy looked at his feet.
"I don't know where my clothes are," he replied quietly.
Arthur mentally chided himself for forgetting that he had left Francis' suitcase by the front door.
"I'll get them for you. While you wait go into the bathroom and brush your teeth. There are spare toothbrushes under the sink along with toothpaste."
Francis obediently walked away to do what he was told while Arthur went to retrieve the suitcase. He was glad he had at least remembered that Francis didn't have a toothbrush and helped him get one before further confusing the boy.
When he reached the suitcase he opened it and looked for the nicest outfit he could find. If they were going to see the Prime Minister of England and the President of France they both needed to be dressed properly.
He pulled out a white dress shirt, a pair of black trousers, and a gray vest before closing the suitcase and carrying it and the clothes back upstairs for Francis to wear.
AN: The next chapter will consist of Arthur and Francis visiting their bosses to see what will happen to Francis. Will his boss know anything about what caused him to become a child?
Italics- speaking in French or internal thoughts
No Italics- speaking in English