Alfred looked at the mirror sadly. Looked at himself… sadly… The edges of the reflective glass were steamed over, but he could see himself clear enough in the centre. He looked tired… and worn. He had dark shadows under his eyes, the blue of his irises not so bright and lively. He tried to smiled… but upon seeing it he knew it was fake and it disappeared and a slight nauseous feeling settled in his stomach.

Another sleepless night didn't do him any good and he hid his face in his hands as a few tears dared to fall. He had been terrified that the previous night was it… that that was where Ivan would cease to exist…

Alfred frowned… a choking noise interrupting his dreams. He tried to return to them, but upon realization of who he shared the bed with, he tossed them aside and his eyes flew open. He'd screamed for Toris as he'd struggled to get Ivan into a sitting position so he didn't choke on his own bile. It was blood… everywhere… And by the time Toris got there, Alfred was covered in it and the blonde had broken down.

Now it was around six in the morning. Ivan was settled and stabilized once more and Alfred had just showered. Hot water was supposed to be calming… but what a fat load of good it did him now… He was just glad Ivan made it.

Once he had pulled on his clothes, the American wandered back into the bedroom and over to the bed, where there was a clean change of sheets and Ivan lay on his side, staring at the wall. Upon Alfred's entrance he looked up and smiled softly. The American had left the door to the unsuit open as he hadn't thought that anyone would just walk into Ivan's room… But he figured the Russian had been watching him shower.

Blushing softly, he walked over, dumping his towel on the end of the bed and climbing under the blanket beside the other male, who shifted a bit for him and wrapped his arms around the smaller.

"… What are you thinking…?" Alfred whispered after a while of silence… Ivan blinked curiously and looked at him before smiling softly.

"I'm thinking about your body…"

Alfred blushed furiously at that and hid his face in the other's chest.

"What about it…?"

"… I feel bad… That I can't do anything for you…"

Again, Alfred blushed to insane amounts.

"Pervert…" he looked up at Ivan who was also blushing, though not as much. Ok… so he was serious about that… "Sorry…' Alfred said… and he leant up to kiss him lightly. Ivan kissed back… But Alfred knew he wanted more… It had been far too long since their first time… Too much had happened… it had all been worry and grief… And as Alfred thought about it… Ivan couldn't move his legs… so if they were going to ensue further, then he knew what he'd have to do… He was worried more than anything about what had happened the previous night.

"Alfred…?" The American looked up and just… just felt wrapped in warmth and love. He knew Ivan would not suffer for this later. He knew that he needed it… they both did… They KNEW that he wasn't far off leaving… hours, days… they didn't know how close one guess was… But right now was THEIR moment and they needed to reassure each other that they had the same love for one another.

The moment having seized him, Alfred leant up to press his lips against the paler ones once more. Clothes were peeled away piece by piece and before either could comprehend time and space, Alfred had knelt, leg either side of Ivan, filled with the Russian's large member and moving slowly yet passionately.

Soon they reached the high of the copulation, so close to one another that it was almost in perfect unison.

With Bliss wracking his body, Alfred arched his back, head thrown back, mouth agape with a silvery tear trailing down the side of his face. Ivan swore he was an angel, as in his own pleasure, he looked upon Alfred and outside in the morning air, the clouds parted and the early morning golden light filtered through like angel's breath. That beautiful golden light pierced the glass of the windows, curtain open, and it illuminated the American. Sunflower hair shone more golden, skin glowing like he was the sunrise itself.

Ivan had never seen something so beautiful, and it made him glad. Because he probably never would ever again.

/

12:05pm… Noon. Because the sky, or as Ivan said, General Winter, had decided that today was the perfect day to give Ivan sunlight, Alfred and Toris had helped the Russian over to a chair by a large window so that he could feel the sun's warmth and his country and kinsmen enlightened by it.

Alfred blushed insanely when Toris asked how their morning had been, but Ivan was calm and answered simply with, 'good'… By then they were both dressed and Alfred had done his best to clean things up.

Now, Ivan looked perfectly normal and healthy as he sat, staring out at the world with a happy smile. Again, Alfred believed without a doubt that he could save the Russian somehow. His skin had lost some of the paleness it had had for days. His eyes were brighter, albeit still a little glassed over and his hair was soft and bouncy like it should be, not flat and dead looking.

Alfred tried to remember the last time he'd seen his condition improve so much. The first thing that came to mind was post-sex… but no… it had been shortly after he'd spent those first couple of days just hanging out with him. Like Toris he began to think that if Ivan could reach out to more people and form close, though definitely not close as his, relationships with people, then he might just have a chance.

He'd started with other nations like Japan, Greece and Italy… but that was from them reaching out to him when they'd heard something was up… he needed to reach out to others and not wait for them… But Alfred was pretty sure he could convince a few people to come and take the chance to get to know Ivan… the Ivan he knew… Matt for one… He was his brother after all…

The thought gave him hope. And hope put a true smile on his face as he walked back into Ivan's room, a tray with a few P, B & J sandwiches and some juice. Ivan smiled when he looked up and saw him enter. Seeing Alfred smiling only made the day greater.

He loved the American beyond belief and when he sat down on the seat opposite him, setting the tray on the table between them, the Russian smiled warmly, taking one of the glasses of juice, watching the younger with the same constant warm smile.

"What?" Alfred said, his own glass half to his lips with a smile as he caught the Russian watching him.

Ivan smiled and laughed softly. "Nothing… I love you…"

"I love you too…" Alfred said with a small smile and a little bit of red stained his cheeks.

/

03:26 pm…

Ivan was watching the sun slowly turn the sky orange. It was beautiful… but sad… because the sun would be going and he wouldn't be able to see it again the next day… there was a guarantee that the clouds would return the next day.

The door to his room burst open and out of the corner of his eye he saw a certain albino storm up to him, waving around a piece of paper and he turned his head to face him with a small smile.

"What the hell is this?" The Prussian demanded, pushing the piece of paper towards him.

"You know better than to snoop Gilbert…"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP! Answer me! What the hell is this?"

Ivan's smiled slowly vanished and he frowned as he looked at Gilbert seriously.

"What the fuck do you think it looks like?"

Gilbert blinked, taken aback by the sour attitude, but didn't take too long to come back. "Fine! It's a fucking form to say that I'M A FUCKING NATION AGAIN! SO EXPLAIN!"

Ivan glared before looking out the window again. "If a Nation dies then so does it's people… All… All I want is for my people to live… most, carry the blood of your people… they'll survive through that… they just need someone to lead them is all…"

Gilbert swallowed… watching the Russian to make sure he wasn't pulling his leg.

He wasn't… He knew he wasn't because that wasn't an Ivan thing to do… He wouldn't lie or play tricks when it came to the wellbeing and happiness of his people.

"So… when… you die… I'm a nation again…?"

Ivan was silent… He wasn't smiling… he looked like he'd accepted that he would die… nonetheless it didn't mean he wasn't afraid…

"… Just go away…"

/

Gilbert knew it was true now… he'd be a nation again. It was what he had been praying for every night… but… at the cost of another's life… at the cost of Ivan's life?

That little piece of paper that was folded and hidden safely inside his shirt pocket was his only proof… Ivan WOULD die… and he would live…

"hey Gilbert… are you alright…?" The albino looked up to see Alfred walking up to him, a pile of sheets in his hand, Toris at his side with another pile of sheets. He must have been helping with the housework.

"Fine… just… heard some interesting stuff is all…"

"Like what?"

"Like nothing, stop bugging me…"

"okay… okay… No need to get so pissy Gil… Just curious is all…"

Gilbert went to answer when they all heard a large crashing sound. It sounded like a gate being ripped off it's hinges.

Within the second they were all at the window, looking out to the front. Alfred dropped the sheets he was carrying and stepped back, face pale…

"Arthur's here…"

"And everyone West…" Gilbert said, mouth set in a grim line…

"A few other's as well…" Toris added. "They're coming for Ivan…"

"We can't let them get to him…" Alfred frowned. "We have to stop them…"

"Wait… what do you mean 'we'?" Gilbert said, stepping away from the window as he looked at the American. "My bruder is out there and you expect me to fight him?"

"I don't expect you to do anything Gilbert… but I'm asking you… please… we need your help as well…"

/

Ivan blinked, frowning… he was sure he heard gun shots… or something… the clouds had quickly resumed their cover, and so he had closed the curtain… but now he pulled it open and looked outside and over the snow covered grounds.

The front gate had been torn off, and there was indeed a gun fight going on. Arthur… Ludwig… and anyone else in that alliance against him, were advancing quickly towards the house… but they were being hindered by… the other people in his home! The precious people to him! Alfred, Toris… Eduard, Raivis, his sisters… he had to get down there and help them!

Trying to stand up his legs crumpled beneath him and in agony and frustration he screamed at them to work. He couldn't let anything happen to the people who lived under his roof. They were his responsibility… if anything happened to Alfred…

He dragged himself over to the bed and grabbed a hold of one of the posts. He would make it!

/

Alfred fired a few shots over his should before hiding behind the pillar once more. Toris was behind the pillar just opposite him, hair tied back and sweet motherly persona replaced with his fierce warrior reputation. He was determined to hold them back.

Most of all they got were warning shots… The others weren't there for them. They were there for Ivan… And they were just as determined as them.

Natalia, sick of hiding, found a way through the gun fire and attacked Ludwig, the edge of her knife cutting his cheek. No one would hurt her precious braht… Ludwig was a good warrior, but Natalia was smaller and more agile and duck and swerved, placing her own elegant punches and kicks where she could. At any other time, Alfred would have been impressed with the display.

Deciding to follow her lead, Alfred leapt out from behind the pillar, firing a few shots before he came face to face with Francis…

Growling he launched his attack, almost catching the other off guard.

Gilbert was watching from behind his own pillar… He had promised Alfred he would help… but he was scared that if he fired a shot it would get his brother… Or one of his friends… He couldn't bring himself to do it. Raivis was beside him, trembling, afraid as well but not in the same way.

The sound of guns grew closer and closer, closing in and making one feel claustrophobic…

And then the front doors pushed open and the world slowed down.

Everyone stopped fighting. Everyone looked to those doors. There stood Ivan, half leaning against the wall at the top of those five marble steps.

What happened in the next five and a half seconds would be burnt into everyone's minds for all eternity.

Arthur, blinded by anger, jealousy and his own personal anguish, raised his weapon. Alfred screamed and others may have as well… Gilbert ran for the Englishman. Shots were fired…

One…

Two…

Three…

Gilbert reached out, attempting feebly to block them. One bullet went straight through his hand and he cried out, the impact twisting his arm around and he tripped over himself, falling and crashing to the snow.

Bright, vivid red seemed to explode in every one's vision, splashing up against the wall and Ivan crumpled, going down on his knees and falling down the stairs, crashing into the snow.

Time resumed it's normal course and Alfred screamed again, running over to the fallen Russian.

Everyone watched as he pulled him up so he was lying on his back, head in the American's lap. There were three entry wounds. One in the left leg… it was probably the bullet that hurt Gilbert… One in the stomach… and…. One just above his collarbone in his neck.

Blood gushed out as he choked on it, trying to breath, but everyone knew it was hopeless…

Everyone watched as Alfred tried to cover the wound with his hand, trying everything he could to save the Russian. His sobs pierced every one of their hearts.

Only seconds later, Natalia and Katuyasha were at their brother's side with Alfred, crying and sobbing and trying to quell the blood flow as well. Toris was soon beside Alfred, surgical kit in hand, his hands shaking as he tried to pull the bullets out with tears blinding him.

Ivan himself had lost control of his body. He couldn't raise a hand and he knew that he was going to die. He stared off into space, eyes blank… They probably thought he was dead already… He didn't want to leave. Alfred's screams… they hurt him more than the bullets… he couldn't leave him… not now…

It wasn't long before his sisters were being pulled away by others… Felix came to pull Toris away and comfort him…

And… he saw with blurry vision, Gilbert come and sit beside Alfred… He saw his lips move and he half embraced Alfred, but Ivan couldn't hear what anyone was saying anymore… Gilbert reached over with a hand that was bleeding profusely and Ivan saw nothing more… the Prussian had closed his eyes…

"There… Now he could be sleeping…"

It was the Prussian's voice… and that was the last thing Ivan truly heard…. Before he opened his eyes and sat up with a start…

He looked around before looking at his body and feeling where he had been shot… nothing… and he was all alone…

All around him were stalks of golden wheat, swaying softly in a summer breeze. The sky was of a brightest azure blue… green mountains spotted in the distance and there were the few trees here and there… And only a few metres away was a field of sunflowers… tall and proud, reaching for the sun…

Smiling, he climbed up to his feet and walked over to the flowers. They were absolutely beautiful. Smiling wider, he closed his eyes and turned his face to the sun. And nor did he at all startle at the voice he heard behind him, nor at the hand that rested on his shoulder.

"Ivan… let us show you the way…"

The Russian nodded, opening his eyes and turning around. There he saw Rome… Germania… and all the other Ancients…

"I must be dead then…"

Rome smiled and turned, walking away. The others followed. Ivan turned to look at the sunflowers once more. The golden petals in contrast with the blue sky reminded him of Alfred… A tear fell to the ground, soaking into the earth and he turned, following after the ancients.

/

"Hey… Al… Are you going to be ok…?"

The American looked up at the door to Ivan's room… Gilbert stood in the entrance, still in his suit, bar the coat.

"I'll manage…"

"…. You know if you ever need help, I'll be here."

Alfred looked to the Prussian's bandaged hand. It was healing slowly for a nation… The albino had been named Russia the day after Ivan died… A week later they'd had a funeral… There had been debates as whether to bury the Russian or cremate him… Alfred demanded that they didn't bury him in the cold earth… they'd cremated him and taken his ashes to a secret place…

It had been a few months since then and they'd just returned from the latest Summit meeting. Life goes on…

And Alfred had decided it was time he went back to America… Staying in Russia was torment… he couldn't take it and to escape the suffocation, he had to go back to his own land…

Sighing, Alfred stood, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. Gilbert came over and took his suitcase and they walked out to the front, passing the place that it all happened… there was no more blood stain there… it had been cleaned away… Out front there was a black sedan waiting. Gilbert loaded the suitcase into the back and Alfred opened the passenger door to climb in.

"Hey… before you leave Alfred…"

The American blinked before turning back to Gilbert. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing… just… take care of yourself…"

Alfred gave a small ghost of a smile. "I will… I'm the hero… heroes don't get beat…" The American smiled and gave the albino a rare, awkward hug. It lasted a little while before it broke and Alfred climbed into the car, closing the door behind him and putting his belt on.

Gilbert stood there and waved until the engine roared to life in the crisp evening air and he waved until the car was out of the gates and out of sight.

"How are you feeling?" Toris asked as Alfred leant back against the seat beside him, the Lithuanian was driving.

"Tired…"

Alfred winced and shifted a little, trying to maintain a zone of comfort. Toris smiled warmly.

"You ok…?"

"Yeah… it's fine… he's just really strong…"

The American smiled as he rubbed the spot on his belly where there had been an extremely hard kick. "Really strong…"

/

Yes… baby… there is an m preg baby… and I actually got the gist to finish this story… I'm quite proud of this chapter and I hope you like it.

Its taken me absolutely for ever to complete this story, but now that I have finished, I feel like crying. It was one of my most influential ones and all chapters before this one were my earlier writing. Now I was able to finish it with my new style and I just hope it was enjoyable reading. 3

Love forever,

PrussianMongrel

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