A/N: *Peaks head around the corner.* I can explain why I left, don't shoot! I got back to work! And it's just been a nightmare, between customers, masks, cleaning my hands every five seconds, and the fact that I lost my unlimited sleep schedule. (R.I.P. Sleep. You will be missed.) So of course, instead of sleeping like a rational person, I'm going to write at 2am. :) I'm smart. But to make up for that, here's some cute fluff and stuff.

As it turned out, the soup kitchen was only a few blocks away from the apartment building. Russia studied the smallish building as they approached it with a small frown. It was a rather small, old brick building that was squished between two other stores. It looked like it had been there for several decades, with bricks that were mismatched in color. It looked like it had been a restaurant at some point, but Ivan couldn't be sure. It didn't stick out in anyway, almost blending into the other businesses around it. Unlike the other buildings around it, it didn't have many decorations to catch his attention, except a small yellow sign on the front door saying that it was closed and to come back later. If Alfred hadn't cheerfully pointed it out, Ivan wouldn't have given it a second thought. In fact, no one on the street seemed to notice it either, as no one was giving it a second look as they walked by it.

"So, what do you think?" Alfred asked happily, hopping up the stairs to the door and knocking on the glass loudly. "Impressed?"

"I…uh…" Ivan said uncomfortably, not sure what to say. "It is nice?"

"Dude, chill. I was just messing with you." Alfred chuckled. "I know it's not much to look at. That's kind of the point. It's meant not to draw attention."

"Why not?" Ivan asked with a frown. "Wouldn't it be helpful to spread the news that there is a soup kitchen here?"

"It's meant to be discreet for the people who come here." Alfred said with a shrug. "Some people are embarrassed to be seen eating in soup kitchens. They're ashamed that they have to resort to charity. Mrs. Carol wanted to help them feel less embarrassed about it by not drawing attention to this place. She wants to make it more approachable I guess. And she doesn't need to draw attention to this place, trust me." Alfred said with a sad smile. "Those who are hungry learn where to eat quickly. Word of mouth and all that jazz."

Before Ivan could reply, the door opened and Mrs. Carol stuck her head out. Seeing who was standing on the steps, her face lit up and she opened the door up further as she beamed at the two of them. "Oh, you both made it!" She said happily, waving them in cheerfully. Alfred walked in first, giving the older woman a quick hug. Ivan followed, glancing around the room.

It wasn't a very large room, but it was large enough to hold around four large tables with benches, and he could see a small kitchen and serving area on the other side of the room. He could see a number of large pots and cooking sheets neatly stacked in one of the corners of the kitchen, as well as an industrial sized oven, refrigerator, and a couple other appliances. He could see some other volunteers already prepping the cooking area behind the counters, but they didn't pay them any attention as they were too wrapped up in their work.

"Of course I made it! Do you really think I'd ever stand up a cute lady?" Alfred asked with a wink as he let go of the older woman, and Mrs. Carol let out a playful gasp.

"Mr. Jones! I am a married woman! Don't let Greg hear you, or he might get jealous." She teased, pinching one of his cheeks with a smirk. "Anyways, you're much too young for me. I like my old man well enough, thank you."

"Bummer." Alfred said with a sigh. "Oh well, I guess it's the single life for me. Unless you want to ask me out?" He asked Ivan with a grin.

"No." Ivan deadpanned.

"You didn't have to say no that quickly! Jeez, I knew you were going to say no, but you could have at least pretended to think about it!" Alfred shouted as Mrs. Carol started laughing. Alfred turned back to Carol with a pout, jabbing a finger in Ivan's direction. "You see what I have to put up with on a daily basis? The disrespect I have to put up with?"

"I see." She said with an amused shake of her head as she walked over to Ivan and beamed up at the taller nation. "It's good to see you again Ivan. I'm so happy you decided to join us, especially since my husband couldn't make it today. We need all the muscle we can get today!"

"What?" Alfred asked with a concerned frown. "That's weird. I thought he always helped you set up in the morning? Is he sick?"

"No, he's in the dog house." Carol said, pursing her lips angrily. "It's not really important, but one of the residents in the building almost got robbed the other day. He fell asleep at the desk, the fool, and someone was able to sneak past the front desk and into the building due to his stupidity. If it hadn't been for one of the neighbors noticing the thief and scaring them away, they might have gotten away with it. So I made him stay at the apartment and pull a double shift."

"What?! Who almost got robbed?" Alfred said in surprise, and Ivan frowned as Mrs. Carol looked away from Alfred guiltily for a moment, before she masked her expression with a look of annoyance again. That was odd.

"It doesn't matter." She said dismissively. "Greg's taking care of it, so don't worry your head over it." Then she smiled at Alfred again. "Anyways, you've got better things to take care of! We just had a generous donation the other day from a nearby food bank! We got leaks and potatoes! Enough to last us three days at least!" She said excitedly, gesturing for them to follow her and hurrying to the kitchen area and pulling out some hair nets and gloves and throwing them over to the two nations. "First, wash your hands in the sink and put those on. We're making leak and potato soup today. I thought that a hot soup would be perfect for a cold day like this, but it does take a little while to make."

Alfred raised an eyebrow at the dismissal of his question, but then shrugged it off and followed Mrs. Carol into the kitchen. "Where are we working today?" He asked, making his way over to a nearby sink with Ivan.

"You two are going to be working with the potatoes!" She said cheerfully, directing their attention to a giant pile of spuds in the corner. "I need them washed, pealed, and cut up in record time. We don't have much time before we open, only two hours, so move your hiney's! Chop chop!" She said with a clap of her hands.

"Yes Ma'am!" Alfred said, giving her a mock salute. Because of the how the hair net and gloves made Alfred look, Ivan couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter at the sight. Alfred grinned as Mrs. Carol let out her own chuckle, and with a shake of her head she moved to a different part of the kitchen to help some of the other volunteers.

"You look ridiculous." Ivan said in amusement as Alfred let the salute drop and turned back to the station they were working at.

"Nonsense. I am the living embodiment of sexiness. I can rock any look." Alfred said with smirk, putting his hands on his hips confidently.

"I thought I was the handsome one." Ivan said, throwing a towel at Alfred and turned to start washing the potatoes. "I wash, you dry."

"Sure thing. And clearly, you must be blind if you think I'm not the cuter one in this relationship." Alfred said as he caught the towel. "I mean, just look at this face." He added, gesturing to his face while winking at Ivan.

"Then I am the handsome one." Ivan said with a playful smile. "I am handsome, and you are cute. It is settled, Da?" He said cheerfully.

"Aw, you think I'm cute?" Alfred teased.

"It is because your cheeks are round and squishy. You look like a baby." Ivan teased back, and Alfred whapped him playfully in the face with the towel.

"Stop saying my cheeks are fat!"

"But they are! They are soft and fun to poke!" Ivan said with a giggle. "Like uncooked dough!"

"They aren't!"

"They are. It is a compliment! It suits you!" Ivan said cheerfully. "It makes you more fun to hug! You are soft, like a stuffed bear!"

"I have no idea how to take that comment." Alfred said, shaking his head at Ivan with an almost fond smile while he started to dry the spuds Ivan handed him. "You know if you said that to a girl she might have slapped you for that."

"Then it is a good thing you are not a girl." Ivan said happily.

"I guess so." Alfred said in amusement. They continued to work in content silence for a few minutes, occasionally asking the other one for something. It wasn't until they were half way through the pile when Alfred spoke up again. "I wonder who was almost robbed." He wondered. "It's kind of alarming that someone got into the building though. Like, I left my door open the other day and everything! It would have been a disaster if they got in! They wouldn't have cared if Hero and Milashka got out. They might have been lost in the city." He said worriedly.

"You are worried more about the cats getting out than actually being robbed?" Ivan asked in disbelief.

"Wouldn't you?" Alfred asked in surprise. "I mean, don't get me wrong, if someone touched my consoles and my vintage comic books I would have been hella pissed, but Hero and Milashka are kind of irreplaceable. I mean, so are some of my comic books, but I don't have emotional attachments to them quite as much as the little fatty."

"I suppose so. Although Milashka is smart enough to not wander far." Ivan said with a shrug. "I would have not worried. Speaking of which, I take it criminals entering your apartment building is not a common occurrence?" Ivan asked, and Alfred shook his head with a frown.

"Of course not! Greg is usually as sharp as a hawk when it comes to spotting intruders in the building. I can't understand why he's been slacking off this last week. I mean, he's usually is working a side project or two, but it seems like something's really got him busy lately. I mean, it's not common for Mrs. Carol to take over the front desk you know. Usually she only works in the office. I wonder what he's up too?" Alfred hummed in thought.

"It does seem strange." Ivan said slowly, a small frown growing on his face as he thought about something. Ivan wasn't sure, but something was bugging him. The watchful looks from Greg, the fact that the man was away from the building at night and not getting much sleep when his only job was to sit at a desk and watch people, the talks from the rude neighbor insisting that strangers had been loitering outside the building like they were scoping out the place, and now someone had broken into the building and had almost gotten into an apartment. Then strangely, Mrs. Carol had side stepped Alfred's question.

"Hey, why did you stop washing?" Alfred asked in confusion. Snapping back to reality, Ivan shook his head. "I was wondering about something." Ivan said casually, starting to wash the vegetables again.

"About what?" Alfred asked.

"Have Greg and Mrs. Carol always owned that building?" He asked.

"Oh, no. They only moved in about, oh…what was it?" Alfred said with a thoughtful look. "Three or four years ago? Not too long before I moved in actually. The previous owners of the building decided to move out of state or something I think, so they took over. I think the previous owners were cousins of Greg or something."

"I see." Ivan said, a knowing smile slowly growing on his face. "I see. What did they do for work before they owned the apartment building?"

"Hell if I know. They don't really talk about the past unless they're talking about their kids and grandkids. I think Greg mentioned something about them working over sea at some point in Europe. Somewhere up north, I'm not sure where. Do you want to ask Mrs. Carol? I can call her over if you want." Alfred offered, turning to call out to his land lord, but Ivan grabbed his arm and quickly turned him back around. Alfred gave him a confused look from the sudden touch, but Ivan just offered him a warm smile as he let him go.

"No need to bother her." Ivan pointed out cheerfully as he handed Alfred another potato. "She is busy right now, and we are on a time limit. I shall ask her later when we are not so busy, Da?"

"Oh, I guess you have a point." Alfred said with a shrug as he took the spud from Ivan. "Well, whatever. I'm sure she'd love to tell you about it though. Apparently she and Greg met over there sometime in the 70's and the rest is history. She always loves to tell people that he swooped in and swept her off her feet."

"Really?" Ivan asked with a slight smirk. "I have a hard time imaging the man without a hard look on his face, let alone him being romantic. I always thought he was a hard ass."

"Don't be fooled." Alfred snorted. "You should see him around his grandkids; he's just a softy who's trying to act tough. I swear his granddaughter has him wrapped around her pinky finger. One look at her puppy dog eyes and he folds like wet tissue paper. She makes him wear princess dress's when he attends her tea parties and he never has the heart to say no."

"How do you even know that?" Ivan asked through a snicker of laughter.

"Mrs. Carol shows me the pictures." Alfred said with a laugh. "Apparently he always wears a pink dress."

"I do not believe you!"

"It's true!" Alfred insisted, turning around and waving to catch Mrs. Carol's attention. "Hey, tell Ivan that your husband wears's pink dresses to tea parties!" He yelled. "Ivan's calling bullshit!"

"It's true! He doesn't look half bad either!" Carol yelled back from across the room, throwing them a wicked grin. "I have the pictures on my phone if you want to see!"

"I would not mind seeing that." Ivan said with a grin.

*Meanwhile, Somewhere in New York*

"I have an idea on how to apologize to America and Russia!" France said excitably as he ran out of his room and into the sitting area of the hotel room with a large smile on his face. Japan had been sitting on the couch reading a book, but on hearing France approach the couch he glanced up curiously at the Frenchman as he leaned over the back of the couch next to him, giving him an excited smile.

"You do?" Japan asked curiously, and France nodded eagerly.

"Of course I do! And it is a great plan! This is what I have in mind. You know that it was because of me that the whole world now thinks that they are now dating?"

"Yes, I know. I was there." Japan pointed out.

"Well, yes. But that's not the point!" France said, waving away Japan's words. "The point is, since I was the cause of the rumors, then it is up to me to put them to rest, yes? So that is what I am going to do!" France said confidently, gesturing wildly with his hands. "It's perfect! I clear everything up, the other's start to stop talking about it and the rumors fade away, and then America and Russia will not horribly maim my face into dust! They will simply punch me very hard! Everyone wins!"

"Why would the other nations believe you?" Japan asked with a frown.

"Come again?" France asked in confusion.

"Why would they believe you?" Japan asked again.

"I do see why they wouldn't believe me." France pointed out, his smile slowly slipping off his face.

"I do not mean to seem harsh, but you are known for stretching the truth." Japan said sympathetically. "Even if they did want to believe you, it would be odd for you to go from yelling from the roof tops that Alfred and Russia are in love, only for you to turn around and say that it was just a rumor you made up. They would think you are only doing so to save your own skin, which would be true. Not only that, but the damage has already been done."Japan said with a sigh, looking down at the ground with grimace. "It is too late to take back your words. It is already in their heads that they are dating, and you cannot take back an idea once it has spread. Not to mention that they probably wouldn't appreciate you trying to spread more rumors, seeing as the last time you did that it backfired. They would think you are up to something again."

"I see." France said glumly, and with a bone rattling sigh he let himself flop over the back of the sofa so that his hair was covering his face. "Then I don't know what to do." France said miserably into the sofa. "How am I supposed to prove that I did not mean any harm without being killed by them then?"

"I am sure you will figure it out." Japan said, patting France's shoulder kindly.

"Have you figured out what you are going to do about America yet?" France asked, lifting his head up from the couch and giving Japan a curious look.

"I think so. I will be sending a text to him with the address of the hotel by the end of the week with the hotel address and our room number to talk." Japan said nervously. "I am just…" Japan gestured to his phone next to him guilty, "trying to build up the courage, and find the right thing to say when he gets here."

"It seems that you are already ahead of me then." France said with a small smile. "An incomplete plan is still better than no idea, no?"

"I suppose." Japan agreed. They sat there for a few minutes, thinking to themselves. "I have an idea for you." Japan offered suddenly, snapping his book shut and giving France a determined look.

"You do?" France asked, blinking in surprise at the shorter nation's sudden change of attitude.

"Alfred really enjoys your cooking, and you give him cooking lessons, right?" Japan asked, and France nodded in confusion. "Why don't you request to talk to them while you cook for them?" Japan asked, and France's face went white.

"You want me to spend and extended amount of time with the two people who want to kill me the most?! Have you lost your mind?!" France asked in disbelief. "You do remember that I am not only apologizing to America, who can be scary in his own ways, but to the nation that is known to beat his enemies to death because they sneezed in his general direction! Mon Dieu, I would be slathered! Chopped into neat little cubes of meat with my own knifes and cooked with my own recipes! In a sauce of my own creation!"

"Hear me out." Japan said firmly. "Russia might try and kill you-"

"I am not comforted by that in the slightest!"

"but America wouldn't let that happen." Japan continued, ignoring the terrified Frenchman. "He would be angry, yes, but he would not kill you until he has heard the whole story. He would not allow Russia to hurt you until he has heard the whole story, and if you bring food you might ease his temper a little bit more." Japan added with a slight smile. "America is not easily bribed by many things, but food always seems to win him over in the end. It would be like a peace offering. Do you know what his favorite dish is?"

"Burger's are his favorite comfort food; however, I have yet to beat him in a taste testing contest when it comes to that. He wouldn't care if he beat me up if I brought those over. I know that apple pie is his second favorite dish." France said with a thoughtful frown, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "While his pies are still rather good, I still have an edge over him on that dish. Plus, if I bring French vanilla ice-cream to put on top, he might be more willing to listen to me. I suppose it might work…"

"Will you do it then?" Japan asked, and France nodded slowly. "I suppose I could try that. I need to go out and buy the ingredients first. I will be baking it before hand though, as I cannot image how awkward it would be baking for hours with them glaring at the back of my head the whole time." He said with a shudder. "I will need a speedy get away if things go south after all."

"I suppose that makes sense." Japan agreed.

"What food will you be bribing America with then?" France asked, and Japan shook his head.

"None. I do not deserve to soften the blow. I wronged him. I deserve his wrath." Japan said sadly. "And it not his physical wrath that I am worried about. He can do something worse than that to hurt me. He would not even have to lift a finger. Just a couple of words would do it. Or his silence. I would not blame him if decided to not accept my invitation to talk."

"Japan," France said sadly, reaching out and putting a comforting hand on Japan's shoulder, "You know that you have not made a completely fatal mistake right? Yes, you hurt him, but it was only because you loved him. It was mostly me who caused the problems. The only reason America hasn't chased you down yet is because he found out you loved him. That is the thing that has thrown him off the most. Trust me," He said with a slight smile, "if you don't know how to approach him about your feelings, a barley 242 year old adult nation is defiantly won't. He is probably just as worried about talking to you again as you are talking to him."

"What about me following him, or the pictures, or the rumors?" Japan asked worriedly.

France just shrugged in response. "He most likely does not blame you for the pictures, or the cluster fuck that followed. I am sure he has pinned that on me. The only thing he might be angry at you for is following him. And like I said before, he is quick to forgive such things. I think when you talk to him, you should first apologize to him about the stalking, but the thing you will have to talk about the most is feelings you have for him. You must decide where you relationship stands, and where to go from there. However, there is one thing you must remember when you talk. It is very important."

"What would that be?" Japan asked curiously.

"It is not a crime to love someone, nor is it a crime to love someone and not tell them." France said softly. "You should never feel guilty for loving someone. America is not angry at you for loving him, remember that. He is just scared of what that can lead to, and most of all he is scared to lose you because of love. Show him that love doesn't have to hurt him by explaining yourself, and proving that you're willing to fight to keep your friendship. Love doesn't always have to be romantic, you know. I think he fails to realize that sometimes." France said with a nod, he lifted his hand off of Japan's shoulder and he finally stood up and stretched. "But then, so do a lot of people. I think I will head out to pick up those ingredients now, if you don't mind."

"Not at all." Japan said with a nod.

"Thank you for your advice." France said with a wink and a wide grin. "I honestly don't know how I didn't think about using food as a bribe before. It seems obvious now you've pointed it out."

"I could say the same." Japan said with his own small smile. "Thank you."

"What else is the country of l'amour for, if not to fix broken hearts?" France asked with a chuckle as he walked back to his room.

*Somewhere in Ukraine*

Ukraine hummed a cheerful tune as she brushed her kitchen. She hadn't been home too long, but between her work and the holidays, she found herself rushing around to make sure everything would be done before the holiday party in a few weeks. She had already had to call her boss and assure him that she wasn't talking to her brother, (she had lied of course), and that her sister was behaving. She had heard from him that her sister's boss had been having melt downs lately due to the fear of Belarus doing something to America, and that he had been constantly bugging her boss for updates. The last thing he wanted was beef with the more powerful nation, and from what her boss had told her, he was worried that Belarus would fly across the world to try and assassinate America in his sleep, blame it on Russia, and start another Cold War. Honestly, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the man. She knew firsthand how much of a handful her sister could be at times.

She had assured him time after time that she had hidden her passport, but her boss was still worried. She had even been told that Russia's boss had been informed of what was going on, and that he had basically shrugged his shoulders with a smirk, and basically said that it wasn't his problem, and wished her sisters boss good luck with the fall out. Again, she couldn't help but feel bad for the man.

Just as she was dumping the dust in a dust pan, there was a knock on her front door. Ukraine frowned as she looked over the door. She hadn't been expecting anyone. She walked over to the door, and looking through the peep hole she felt her heart stutter as she saw her sister standing on her doorstep, smiling sweetly up at the peep hole.

"I know you are there sister." Belarus said in amusement, pointing at the doorstep. "The floor creaks when you step near the door. I repeatedly tell you to fix that, yet you ignore me. Then you wonder how your boss knows you are home."

"I will fix it when I have the money too." Ukraine said with a huff, opening the door and giving her sister an unamused look. "I hope you are not here to ask for your passport. I have told you, I will not give it to you until we leave for the party. Which," she added, giving her sister a stern look, "America says you are still invited too."

"I have not come to ask you for anything, and how kind of him." Belarus said coolly, but at the mention of America's her eyes narrowed slightly. "I simply wanted to talk with my sister. Is that a crime?"

"Of course not." Ukraine sighed.

"Then would you be so kind as to invite me in, or are we going to talk in the cold for the next hour?" Belarus asked gesturing to the frost covered ground around them.

"Of course not, come in." Ukraine said, moving aside so that her sister could come in. Belarus gave her a small smile as she walked in, and after she had taken her coat off they moved into the sitting room. "Would you like a cup of tea?" Ukraine asked as she walked into the kitchen. "The kettle just finished boiling."

"Thank you, I would like that." Belarus replied, her eyes scanning the room slowly like she was looking for something. "I see that you have redecorated." She commented. "Why the change? I thought you liked the old set up."

"It was fine, but I needed a change." Ukraine said with a small shrug as she walked back into the room with their cups. "The old rug was getting frayed on the edges, and the walls need to be repainted anyways, so I decided to just redecorate the whole room. Why, do you not like it? Is it too much?" Ukraine asked worriedly, looking around the room with a frown as she handed Belarus a cup.

"Of course not, I was simply curious." Belarus reassured her sister with a small smile, shaking her head fondly at her sister's worried behavior. "I find it to be nice."

"Oh, you do?" Ukraine asked happily, giving her sister a warm smile as she sat down next to her on the love seat. "I am so relieved. I was worried that the new color was too dark for this room."

"It works fine." Belarus assured her. "So I heard you went over to America for a few days due to some business. Did you see big brother?" She asked casually as she sipped her drink, and Ukraine almost choked on her drink. "Oh, I am sorry, did I startle you?" Belarus asked Ukraine with a slight laugh as her sister coughed up her drink. "I am sorry, my boss told me you went to talk to some of the other nations there, so I was curious."

"Oh, I see…" Ukraine said warily as she used her napkin to clean her face off. "As a matter of fact, I did. I spent an afternoon with him on a bus tour of the city."

"I thought he disliked bus tours?" Belarus asked in confusion.

"Does he?" Ukraine asked with a raised eyebrow. "He has never told me that. In fact, he was quite happy to join me on it. He always joins me on them if I suggest them. He seemed to be having a good time during it, although he almost fell asleep during the walk around the city afterwards."

Belarus shook her head in amusement, but chose not to comment on her sister's obliviousness. "Was he doing well? I know that he was rather unhappy when his boss ordered him to spend a month there." She asked instead. "I hope that he has not had too much trouble with America."

"As far as I could tell, he was doing well enough. America too, when I saw him." Ukraine said with a shrug. "They seemed to be on rather friendly terms when I spoke to them."

"I am happy to hear that. Did America join you two on the tour?" Belarus asked, and she saw her sister stiffen slightly at the question. "I mean, they are dating after all. It would make sense if they were together." She said coldly, and she had to put down the cup she was holding because she could see small fractures in the paint where she was holding it.

"Ah, he did join us, but he is not dating Vanya." Ukraine said quickly. "Vanya told me as soon as I got off the plane that France had only spread a rumor, and that he and America had only become friends recently. It was quite the surprise!" Ukraine said with a nervous laugh. "It turns out that due to the rumors, they have started to repair their friendship! Vanya was so happy to have a friend after so long! But I heard that so much happened at the meeting when we weren't there! It started with-"

But Belarus wasn't listening. Instead, a roaring flood of hot red fury was roaring in her ears. So that American had fooled her brother into thinking they were friends again. That bastard! Up to his same old tricks, and somehow his brother was falling into the same pitfalls. This could only end one way, and that was with her brother's heart being broken yet again by fake smiles and lies. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and tried to steady herself. At least they weren't dating. He older brother wouldn't lie to Ukraine about that, so at least that was a load off of her mind. She could work with this. There was still time to stop America from manipulating her brother further if she acted quickly enough. Perhaps she could even wait till the party to have a "talk" with the American instead of beforehand like she planned. Although she would still keep her watchers on their trail. If only for her peace of mind.

"Are you alright?" Ukraine asked worriedly, and Belarus nodded, and opening her eyes she gave her sister a warm smile. "Hmm, oh yes!" Belarus said, making a show of relaxing her posture and she picked up her cup again. "I am sorry; I was just so relieved to hear that they were not dating that I missed what you were saying."

"You are not angry that they are friends?" Ukraine asked in amazement, and Belarus gave her sister an exasperated look. "Why would I be angry that he has friends? Although I will admit that I would not choose America as a great choice for him, I am happy that big brother is starting to make friends. It will make him very happy, no?" She asked with a cold smile, but Ukraine didn't notice as the stress bled out of her shoulders.

"Oh thank goodness!" She said with a relieved laugh, putting her face into her hands. "I was so worried that you would be angry."

"I only want what is best for him." Belarus said with a huff. "Surly you know that. However, when I find France I will make him pay for causing me stress." She said darkly, her fingers tracing the pocket in her dress where she kept a switch blade.

"I am afraid you will have to wait in line on that." Ukraine said in amusement as she finished her cup of tea. "I am afraid and Vanya and America have claimed first dibs and punishing him as he has caused them the most grief this last week."

"I sure they have. May I have more tea please?" Belarus asked suddenly holding up her empty cup. "I am afraid I finished mine already."

"Of course you can!" Ukraine said brightly, happily taking her sister's cup and she almost skipped into the kitchen. "Oh, I am so happy you aren't angry anymore! Oh, would you like something to eat? I could make us some sandwiches or a snack if you are hungry." She asked from the kitchen.

"Oh, anything will do." Belarus said as she stood up, and as she did so she noticed that one of the corners of the rug was elevated slightly. She quickly walked over to the corner of the rug and pulled it up, and with a cold smile she saw one of the loose floor boards there had been pulled up slightly. Her sister never changed. Pulling it up slightly, she saw that her passport was there, but instead of taking it, she simply put the board down properly and put the rug over it again so it looked untouched. She didn't need it now. No, better to pretend she didn't know where it was for now. "Actually, would you like for me to help you with dinner? It is getting late. We can watch a movie afterwards." Belarus asked as she stood back up.

"Really?!" Ukraine asked, and poking her head out from the kitchen she gave her sister a wobbly smile. "Do you mean that?!"

"Of course." Belarus said, walking up to her sister and giving her a small smile. "It has been so long since we have had an evening to relax. We should make the most of it."

"Of course we should! What a wonderful idea! Come on, I have an idea on what we should cook!" Ukraine said excitably. But as Ukraine turned around, she missed the slight smirk on her sisters face as she followed her into the kitchen.

YES! I'M BACK BABY! AND WITH OVER 100 FAVORITES NO LESS! YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST! So, as a celebration for reaching over 100 favorites and follows, the next chapter is going to be just about Alfred and Ivan for a change with just a butt ton of fluff. 0w0. All the fluff. Hugs, the start of flirting, eating out, them nerding out, the whole shebang! WE WILL HAVE ROMANCE IN THIS STORY DAMN IT! I've done enough build up dang it! I want them to start drawing closer together! If you think its bad waiting to read the romance, you have no idea how hard it is for me to restrain myself from just throwing them together. Like seriously people, the ending of this story is going to make you all explode! The suspense, the drama, THE ROMANCE! It's killing me not to post it right now.

Oh yeah, and everyone else will have plot development soon as well. AND CANADA AND ENGLAND WILL RETURN SOON! :D Until then, AUTHOR AWAY!