When Alfred had showered and dressed- smacking himself awake for the sake of Arthur- the couple grabbed their beach gear and piled together in the car to head down to the shore. "It's real nice Arthur. To get to the beach you have to go through the wild horse reserve." Alfred explained animatedly as he drove his gigantic beast of a car.

"Wild horses, really? Sounds lovely, pet." Arthur replied back.

"You bet, they're so cool and beautiful and stuff and if we're lucky they'll be close to the border fence." Alfred grinned widely as his flipped on his blinker and pulled into the entrance to the reserve; only stopping to pay the admittance toll.

"We both seem to have a special love for horses, don't we? You and your wild west days and well I've just been around the animals for as far back as I can remember."

"I love horses, always have always will. When you think about it that was the only way of transportation for a lot of my life seeing as how cars weren't really common and until around the 1920's." Not that Alfred had qualms against cars- in fact he adored cars and owned several old muscle cars- but horses would always have a special place in his heart. The western half of the American nation had been founded upon the strong backs of these majestic creatures and their owners.

Alfred and Arthur pulled around a round-about before a long straight stretch of road with vast nearly treeless plains of grass spread out on either side. The sky was clear and bright that morning with a few clouds dotted here and there making it a wonderful scenic view that looked just like a painting. "This is lovely…" Arthur mused as he looked out the open window; his striking green eyes glistening in the morning sun and his already messy blonde hair slowly becoming more ruffled by the sea breeze. Alfred smiled softly to himself. Oh Arthur, how he loved him so… though he was really just a stubborn no-good liar…. Alfred immediately shook his head clear. What was that? There was no way he'd think something so mean about Arthur, he loved him. That was nothing, just the remnants of a dream talking.

Alfred pushed those stray thoughts to the back corners of his mind as best he could before he drew in a breath to respond to Arthur, "Isn't it? I love coming down here in the summer, been coming here every year for the past decade." Alfred replied as he pressed on the brake a bit to try and get a good look at the wild horses.

"I can see why, it's quite nice, for an American town that is." Arthur teased lovingly in that charming way he always did. Alfred smiled tenderly at his darling fiancé as the Briton turned his head out the window to glimpse at the various ponies lazily grazing in the field.

So far Jackson had been relatively quiet this morning and that came as a great relief to Alfred. Most likely what had happened yesterday had been nothing more than the Confederate American throwing a temper tantrum as he tended to do whenever Alfred ventured into the south. Alfred's dream was also most likely just the remains of his memories from a century ago when he was truly battling for the sake of his sanity and control of his body. There had been no headaches, no desire for cigarettes, and no more strange thoughts. Alfred would be fine to continue through his day.

The couple soon arrived to the sandy shores of Chincoteague beach where the cool calm waters of the Atlantic Ocean lapped at its shore. They set up their chairs and towels, upon Arthur's insistence, an umbrella, and a cooler stocked full of cool sodas and sandwiches for lunch. The air was crisp and smelled faintly of salt and felt good as it filled Alfred's lungs. He hadn't been to the beach in what felt like forever and it was nice to be back especially with someone special.

Arthur was sitting in his chair, busily applying sunscreen to his alabaster chest and shoulders by the handful. "Jeeze Artie, you're gonna die of an overdose on that stuff." Alfred laughed as he joined his lover and flopped down into the chair next to him.

"Belt up," Arthur scoffed. "You can't overdose on sun block." He corrected in his very mater-of-factual way. "Though I supposed an idiotic git such as yourself wouldn't know that." Alfred knew that what Arthur said was meant to be nothing more than a playful joke, but for some reason the American couldn't help, but take it as an offense.

"I'm not an idiot." Alfred snapped back sternly, no humor in his voice. Arthur stopped mid sunscreen application and looked back over at his partner, thick brow furrowed and green eyes confused. "I'm not an idiot, why do you always say that?" Alfred inquired as he leaned forward against his knees.

"Oh come now Alfred," Arthur chided as he rubbed the sunscreen back into his arm. "You know I'm only kidding when I say that." Alfred knew that. Alfred always knew that. When Arthur called him an idiot in the Briton's special language that really meant 'I love you.' Alfred always knew that so why was he taking offense to the loving insult. "But… i-if it really bothers you all you had to do was tell me… I don't want to make you upset…" Arthur turned his eyes downcast to the sand as he continued his work.

What was Alfred doing? He knew Arthur was only kidding with him; he always did. But... why did it make him so angry? "Ah… I-it's alright Artie… I know you were just joking…" He felt guilty not. It was almost as if the American had spoiled the fun atmosphere with just one comment. Alfred needed something, anything that would lift the tension from the air around them. "Well… c'mon Mr. Sunscreen, let's head down to the water." Alfred grinned as he grabbed Arthur's wrist and began hauling him off the chair.

"Alright, alright calm down." Alfred chided softly with a small shake of his head and a roll of his brilliant green eyes. "Don't forget to take your glasses off. You don't want to lose them now do you?" Arthur warned.

"Oh right, that'd be bad considering they're my only pair." Alfred laughed as he pulled the spectacles from his face and folded them up only to come to a disturbing realization. He could see perfectly fine without his glasses. It doesn't seem like that big of a deal to others, but to Alfred it spelt disaster. Alfred could barely recall the last time he had been able to see properly without a pair of prescription lenses. The last time he could had to have been… when he represented the union and only the union. Back during the civil war Texas wasn't under the North's possession and since Texas was what obscured his vision… this was bad… very, very bad…. His personalities were being split apart and not just that, but they were manifesting.

But the American remained undeterred and didn't dare let Arthur key in on the fact he was inwardly panicking about his newfound gain in vision. He thanked whatever celestial being lye overhead for his acting abilities otherwise he most likely would have broken down in front of his fiancé. Alfred merely folded up his glasses and placed them carefully in the pocket of his bag and turned back to Arthur, his million dollar smile still beaming brightly. "All good! You're already covered in enough sunscreen to stand against third degree burns so c'mon." Alfred laughed as Arthur finished rubbing in his latest handful of lotion.

Arthur huffed softly and capped the bottle and then placed it back in the Ziploc bag he had placed it in (He said something about how it would keep sunscreen from getting all over everything if the bottle opened. What a dork…) and put the plastic baggy in his beach bag. "I swear Alfred…" He sighed in exasperation. "But alright, I'm up." Arthur hauled himself at his chair, silently cursing his old joints as he stood and joined Alfred. The duo padded to the water where the sand slowly shifted from being dry and shifty to solid and damp from the ocean's waves. The royal blue sea stretched out before them disappearing over the horizon as far as the eye could see. It made Arthur nostalgic and sigh with the remnants of distant memories. "It's been years since I've sailed the seas and yet it still gives me that same wonderful feeling…" The Briton sighed thoughtfully as he dug his toes in the sand and let the water wash up around his thin ankles.

Alfred laughed softly, "Old sea dog," He teased affectionately. "I remember when used to come up in that gigantic ship of yours every time you came to visit when I was a kid."

Arthur sighed wistfully, "Oh the Victoria… that was the best ship a man could have…" Arthur's green eyes were off in a distant place. Back decades ago when everything those green eyes saw was in his possession. "It's a shame it sunk during the wars…"

"I feel your pain. My Mustang was the best plane I ever had, y'know back during World War Two, but it got struck in the left engine and I had to jump out. Poor thing dropped to the earth like a rock and broke apart like a glass vase." Alfred replied, still saddened over the loss of his favorite aerial friend from the 1940's.

Alfred's vision suddenly blurred and the world was obscured like it should have been without his glasses. "God damn foreigners, shootin' down mah plane." Alfred's voice changed, a thick southern drawl overtaking his tone. Alfred found himself grinding his teeth together. Right, damn those German assholes to hell. What right did they have to shoot down his beloved airplane? He should go and beat the living crap out of-! Alfred cut his thoughts off short. What was he thinking? He had forgiven Germany for what happened, everyone had. Why was he suddenly becoming so cynical?

Arthur was quiet, looking over at Alfred with furrowed brows. "Did… did your accent just change?" The Briton questioned curiously as he scrutinized his partner's face.

Alfred hesitated. "N-No it uh…" Alfred was shocked to find this voice was still twanged. "Sometimes it uh…" Still twanged. It should have changed back by now, but it wasn't and that made Alfred's heart thump in his chest,

"I knew I heard your accent change yesterday…" The Briton muttered to himself. "Alfred, are you trying to suppress it?"

The American's blue eyes shifted in his skull. What was he supposed to say? 'Oh hey Arthur, it's just my alternate personality from the civil war trying to slowly take over my body. And by the way he has long standing grudge against you and kinda wants you dead.' The Briton would most likely have an aneurism on the spot if he heard that. "Well… it uh… it happens sometimes when I'm down south…" Alfred admitted quietly, hating the sound of his twanged voice.

"Oh… well I'm not very fond of that accent… It sounds so unsophisticated…" I'll show you unsophisticated… A voice in Alfred's head said. "But if you really can't help it I don't mind you speaking with it. Lord knows I even go off in cockney every once in a while."

The American pressed his lips together and closed his eyes. He concentrated, really concentrated. He gathered up his will and wielded it like a weapon against Jackson's influence. He breathed out a deep lung full of air and opened his eyes. "No… I'll suppress it," Alfred was relieved to find his voice was his own with his Northern accent. "I don't like taking with that accent… it brings back some bad memories…"

The air around them was silent. Only the sound of the waves, the gulls overhead, and the mutterings of a few other beach goers filled his ears. Arthur gazed over at Alfred briefly with those emerald eyes of his. The Briton sighed softly and turned his gaze back to the sea. "A country that young should never have to experience something as vile as a civil war…" Arthur said, he eyes distant again. Arthur too had experience civil war at a young age, what with the War of the Roses, and it had been difficult for him just as much as it had been for Alfred.

Civil war was no laughing matter. For nations it meant a constant internal battle between oneself and the voices in their head. The loss of control over their own limbs and being banished in the deepest darkest recesses of their minds. It was a horrifying thing to endure especially when you were young and naïve and unsure of how to control yourself.

"Well at least it's not like that ingrate is still around. Be thankful for that." Arthur reassured his fiancé with a soft smile on his thin pink lips. Unfortunately though unlike Arthur's alternate personalities Alfred's hadn't vanished with the passing of time. Jackson had been around for as long as Alfred could recall, always watching, always listening, always thinking and plotting about how he could once again gain control. That factor is what scared Alfred the most. But it's not like Arthur knew that….

"Oh yeah definitely, thank god he's nothing more than a distant memory." Alfred's voice was relatively calm with a little less than a hint of nervousness. The existence of Jackson was Alfred's biggest secret against his British partner.

Alfred curled his fingers into his palm and clenched his first tightly. If only he knew, if only Arthur knew just what was going on in his mind. Alfred wanted to tell him, blurt out the entirety of secret all in one breath, but at the same time it was a secret he wanted to take as far as his grave. He didn't want Arthur to worry about him and that was his primary reason as for why the truth had stayed under heavy lock and key for all these years.

Jackson watched the world from his alternate ego's eyes. The Confederate American chewed on the inside of his cheek in thought as he scanned through Alfred's own. "So? The Union boy wants me to be a secret, huh?" He mused as switched to fiddling with a button on the gray uniform that he had disappeared in all those years ago. "Well I'm real sorry 'bout little Alfie, but that's a no can do on mah part." His steely gray-blue eyes traveled up and looked at the outside world from under dark blonde lashes. "Ain't that a pity?" He sneered with a sly smirk as he marveled at his wonderful plan lying out before him like a yellow bricked road to control.

Wow I haven't updated in a long time on this one. To be honest I was having some writers block with this story, but I'm over it. I've been really busy with my school play which will fortunately be over after this weekend his through, but on the flip side my laptop is broken and I have to do all my writing on the computers at school during my free time. But I'll do my best and my mom said my laptop can be fixed when the holidays are over.

So anyway reviews are always greatly loved and appreciated. Thanks lovies and sorry for the wait!