Hey all my beloved readers! I am so sorry I didn't reply to any of your reviews this last time T^T I swear I'll write all of you back for this chapter! Speaking of my AWESOME reviewers, let me give an uber amazing shout out to everyone who reviewed this last time:

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Feliciano hummed cheerfully as both he and Ravis wandered along the icy Russian streets, thoroughly delighted with the new prospect of freedom that flowed through him. It had been so long since he'd last been able to wander as he pleased. Ivan had kept him bound to his mansion for so long that he'd nearly forgotten how cold the Russian winter could be. Sure, the cold was certainly not a pleasant thing, especially compared to the lovely Italian weather he was so accustomed to, but fresh air was fresh air, so there was little complaining he could do on the matter.

Occasionally, the brunet found himself glancing back at Ravis as the young boy whimpered quietly to himself, blue eyes darting around the streets in an obviously paranoid fashion. Each time he did this, he found himself absentmindedly feeling for Alfred's cell phone that he had tucked safely away in his coat pocket. Feliciano needed to get the boy's mind off of his boss, or there could be trouble in the near future for the both of them.

Without warning, the Italian whirled back gracefully on his heel, smiling brilliantly at the younger. "Hey Ravis, you wanna get some pasta?" he chirped, not even bothering to wait for a reply as he took the blond's hand, pulling him down the street at a much quicker pace. "The last time I was here with mio Nonno and mio fratello, we found a really nice restaurant that served pasta! It wasn't that good, but it's definitely better than anything I've eaten at Mr. Ivan's house~."

"W-Wait, h-h-hold on!" Ravis pleaded, already uncomfortable enough as it is. The last thing he wanted was to prolong his stay away from Alfred's apartment. He struggled fruitlessly against the older man's hold, eventually forced to give in as he was dragged forcefully inside a small Italian restaurant.

oOxoxOo

The door gave a discontented groan as it was forced open, swinging back gently as the Arian man entered the small apartment. Blue eyes quickly scanned over the little hovel before the German entered the room.

According to a brief, surprisingly descriptive and straight to the point phone call he'd received from Feliciano, there was something here that would prove key in the Italian's escape from his Russian boss. It was very unlike Feli to be so serious about something, so Ludwig found he had no choice but to risk his life and comply with his lover's wishes. He swiftly began his search through the small room, checking under couch cushions and behind the television for whatever he was supposedly looking for.

Coming up empty, Ludwig heaved a sigh, hoping that perhaps taking a step back would make this easier. He'd left Braginski and his boyfriend at a restaurant on the other side of the city, so he'd need to hurry and do what he needed to do so he would have enough time to drive back and retrieve them. Hopefully nothing would happen that would cause them to end their meal early. There was no doubt in the Arian's mind that the Russian would become suspicious as to where he was if he took an hour to go get the two.

"Damn it, Feli," he grumbled under his breath, carding his thick fingers through his slicked back hair.

…

Ludwig glared at the unknown number flashing on his cell-phone screen, debating on whether or not to answer. Not many people had his number, so it had to be someone that knew him. Heaving a sigh, the German reluctantly flipped his phone open. "Hallo?" he greeted hesitantly.

"Ludi, I need you to do something for me. Start driving back to the south-eastern side of the city right now."

"F-Feli?" the blond asked, a bit shell shocked at getting such a direct order from the last person he expected to have called him. Not only that, but he'd never heard the Italian sound so serious in his entire life. It was quite unnerving to say the least.

"Go now," the brunet ordered again.

Nearly dropping his keys, Ludwig started back up the limousine, pulling out of the parking and onto the highway. "Alright, I'm on the road. Now tell me what you need me to do. I've never heard you like this before, is everything alright?" Truth be told, he was growing concerned for the young mafia head. Something was obviously wrong.

"Everything's fine," Feliciano replied again, his stern tone unfaltering, "I need you to go to apartment 32B in the complex three blocks east of the Red Moon Bar. The door is locked so you'll need to find a way to get inside without damaging the door. Once you're in, search the apartment. I left the rest of the instructions on a sheet of paper in the apartment. Ti amo, Ludi. Ciao~."

Ludwig stared at the bright screen as the other line went dead. That certainly hadn't been expected.

…

"What the Hell did he mean 'further instructions'?" he snorted, "I can't find anything in this damn mist-haufen." Thoroughly irritated and pressed for time, Ludwig took his search into the other rooms of the apartment; the bathroom, kitchen and lastly the bedroom. Finally, the blond managed to stumble upon what he believed he was searching for, confirmed by the plethora of little drawings of hearts and cats lining the boarders of the note. And just when Ludwig was starting to gain respect for the brunet too…

He skimmed the list of instructions, eyes widening a bit in surprise at the nature of the orders. According to Feliciano, Ludwig was supposed to leave a handgun in the space between the wall and the refrigerator in the kitchen, four clips of ammo in the breadbox and a few other weapons located in inconspicuous areas of the apartment. Lastly, he wanted the German to meet him outside the apartment at 3:15 exactly four days from now. Oddly specific instructions for someone who seemed so dense…

Ludwig obeyed the orders he was given without question and made to leave, shoving the note inside his pocket to be burned later. As he locked the front door, ready to make his way back out of the complex he took one last glance inside. "I hope you know what you're doing," he mumbled softly, closing the door behind him.

oOxoxOo

Sky blue eyes glancing up for what seemed to be the hundredth time that evening, Alfred smiled brightly as Ivan met his gaze. The Russian returned the dazzling grin with a little smile of his own, tightening his grip on the younger man's un-injured hand just the slightest. "What is it, lyubov?" he asked playfully, "You've been staring at me all day. Do I have something on my face?"

Alfred giggled, leaning against the taller man as they walked along the chilly streets. "I just can't stop myself," the blond replied earnestly, "I mean, you're like the greatest person in this entire country. You're sweet and you're smart and you're sexy…I can't think of anything I must've done to deserve you." At this, Alfred's gaze dropped a bit forlornly down to the snowy sidewalk, his smile fading slightly. Ivan gave his love a curious look as he started again, this time in a much softer tone. "I mean…I'm really not all that great," he sighed, shrugging, "I always tell people I'm awesome, and I always try my hardest to be a hero, but…I'm like the last person I'd expect to ever be with someone like you."

A silver eyebrow tilted upward curiously, Ivan eyed the younger's sudden mood shift cryptically. Surely it wasn't like his little American sunflower to think so lowly of himself. The Russian stopped, their intertwined hands causing Alfred to come to a halt as well. Alfred turned back to ask what was up, only to have the bottom of his chin taken between Ivan's thick fingers and tilted upward. His grasp was gentle, but firm enough to keep the blond from turning away.

"What has given you this sudden low opinion of yourself, moi lyubov?" he asked, an assertiveness in his tone that he normally used to get information out of captives and occasionally a few of his own men.

The change in character was enough to cause the American to flinch backwards, not having expected the sudden probing for information. "N-Nah, it's…it's nothin', Vanya," he laughed nervously. The other didn't look the slightest bit convinced, keeping his firm hold on the other's jaw. "I'm serious," Alfred tried again, "there's nothing wrong."

"I do not believe you," Ivan replied simply. He leaned down, and captured the other man's lips in an unbearably sweet kiss. The action had practically made Alfred melt, turning the little American to goo against him. When they pulled away, Ivan had to wrap his arm around the younger's waist to keep him from toppling over, and also to keep him from escaping. He leaned in close, just barely enough so that his lips were a mere half centimeter from Alfred's ear, whispering so that his breath lightly ghosted over the delicate flesh. "Are you going to tell me now, podsolnechnik?"

Alfred's face was hidden against the Russian's broad chest, a blush on his face that wasn't just from the chilly winter air. Man, why did he even have to bring this up? Sometimes he wondered if there even was a barrier between his brain and his mouth, he always seemed to be spewing out whatever's on his mind without thinking first. This was definitely going to ruin an already seemingly perfect outing.

Inching away just the slightest bit, Alfred gave another bright smile up at the older man. Maybe he could still salvage this evening. "Why don't we talk about it after we get back to my place," he asked, voice near pleading, "I mean, it's kind of a long story and I'd rather spend that time having an awesome time with you than talking about depressing stuff. What d'ya say?"

Ivan's violet eyes narrowed slightly in thought, watching the smaller blond worry his lip nervously. He was a master at pulling information from people, using whatever means necessary. It wouldn't be too difficult to make Alfred talk, and he would find out eventually. What would be the point in turning an already wonderful date into something else?

Ivan smiled and placed another kiss on Alfred's lips, "Alright. The conversation can wait until later. For now we will enjoy ourselves, da?"

Heaving an obviously relieved sigh, Alfred beamed up at the Russian and nodded, "Thanks, big guy." The two returned to the position they were walking in earlier, fingers interlaced as they continued down the snowy Moscow streets. "So, where we off to next?" the American chirped.

The silverette smiled brightly, leading the two around a street corner, "You said you liked movies, da?"

At the mention of his favorite form of entertainment, Alfred's sky blue eyes went wide, a grin splitting his face. "Yeah!" he practically shouted, far too overly excited for his own good, "Are we gonna go see a movie?" Hopefully it would be something with a lot of action and explosives, and with a ton of one-liners. Alfred absolutely loved those types of movies, and it had been forever since he'd last seen one.

"Nyet," Ivan replied.

Alfred's expression immediately fell. "But…you just asked me if I liked movies," he whimpered, sounding very much like a kicked puppy. That had to be one of the biggest let-downs in Alfred's life, like that time Arthur had promised he and Matthew ice cream only to find their favorite ice cream place had been closed down.

The sound of his lover's heartbroken statement caused the Russian to giggle just the slightest. If only he was able to get as excited about the little things as much as his sunflower did. "Da, I did, just like you had asked me if I was taking you to see a movie. I am not taking you to see one movie, moi lyubov, I am taking you to see three."

"THREE?" It was as if gravity had suddenly vanished because if Alfred hadn't been holding Ivan's hand, he was sure he'd shoot off into the stratosphere. "You're really taking me to see three movies!" Ivan nodded, looking ever so proud of himself. He knew Alfred would enjoy that, although he himself wasn't exactly fond of sitting around for extensive periods of time he would deal with it if it meant seeing Alfred this happy. "Which ones!"

"That is a secret, moi dorogoy," the Russian sang, "You will simply have to wait and see." Just as Ivan finished his thought, the limo pulled up along side the two. Right on time. Ivan had to remember to give his German Shepard a little treat for being such a good little dog the next time he saw him. Again, the silverette chivalrously opened the door for his little love as Alfred enthusiastically bounded inside.

oOxoxOo

It had been hours and Romulous had begun to grow impatient. Yong Suu had told him specifically that he and Yao would meet himself and Ulrich at the warehouses outside the city at 4:30. It was now five, and both he and his German bodyguard were starting to get offended at the other party's blatant lack of consideration.

"Those arschlöcher should have been here half an hour ago," Ulrich muttered under his breath, leg bouncing anxiously as he sat leaned against the warehouse wall.

Romulous sighed, more disappointed that upset, "Yeah…I know I told you not to get so angry all the time, but right now I think the situation calls for it." In truth, the idea of being stood up by the two brothers was really only disheartening to the Italian. He didn't want to spend any more time apart from his precious grandson, yearning to just hold the boy in his arms again.

The head of the mafia was brought from his thoughts as Ulrich stiffened beside him, gun aimed directly at a lone figure walking casually towards them. As the man drew nearer, Romulous ordered his guard to lower his weapon, smiling brightly at the approaching figure.

"Kiku, what a surprise!" the brunet man chirped, throwing up his arms in a rather exasperated greeting. "Though to be honest I was expecting i tuoi fratelli."

The one addressed as 'Kiku' bowed respectfully. Unlike his older brother Yao, his dark hair was cut relatively short; the mop of silky black locks ending at the bottoms of his ears rather than hanging in a ponytail down to the center of his back. His dark chocolate eyes were otherwise dull as he addressed the two, most likely not all that excited about interacting with his brothers' 'business partners'.

"Gomen nasai, Vargas-san," the small Asian apologized a bit nervously. He wasn't too fond of other people, very much preferring to keep to himself. "They sent me to inform you that they have already begun their search for Feliciano-kun. My apologies if you were waiting long. If you have anything you wish to request of them or let them know, you may tell me and I will relay the message."

Romulous waved his hand dismissively, still grinning brightly. "No, it's fine. I'm sure your brothers are smart enough not to hurt my grandson," he reassured, his bubbly tone suddenly dropped as a hint of mischief glinted in his amber eyes, "However, I would like very much if you were to accompany my men until my little Feli is found, Kiku."

The nervous air surrounding the smaller man instantaneously increased ten-fold as he cast the much larger Italian a weak smile. "A-Arigatou, V-Vargas-san, but I'm afraid I must decline. You see, I am not nearly as versed in the Moscow area as my brothers as my organization deals very little in Russian affairs. I'm sad to say that I won't be of much use to you." His delicate hands absentmindedly went to finger at the sword on his belt. Before Kiku even had time to react, the butt of a gun was rammed forcefully against his head, knocking him out cold.

Without breaking a sweat, Ulrich hoisted the darker haired man over his shoulder, turning to find Romulous smiling brightly beside him, gently patting Kiku on the back. "So sorry, mio amico, it's nothing personal. I just need to give your brothers a little incentive to get my Feli back safe and sound." He turned to look at his bodyguard, running his large hand over the top of his blond head. "Excellent work, Beilschmidt!" he chirped, "Now how about you and I head back to the hotel and order some pasta."

Huffing a rather dog-like snort, Ulrich used his free hand to remove the one petting his head. "Don't touch me. We still need to tie up some of our loose ends before we start relaxing, Herr Vargas. I'm sure the pasta can wait until later." The German gave a rather unmanly yelp as his boss began fondling his ass, turning back to the other man with a glare and a snarl. "Would you stop doing that!"

Romulous simply laughed, placing a kiss atop the German's head. "Just be lucky I'm being considerate enough to appeal to your sense of modesty," he chuckled, "If you'd like, I could do something far more naughty."

The suggestive tone in the Italian's voice instantly caused the younger man's face to flush a dark red, and he quickly turned and began back toward the car. "Hurry up," he snapped, merely earning him a bright smile from his boss.

oOxoxOo

"That was so not cool," Alfred whimpered, his left arm coiled tightly around Ivan's right. His entire body trembled violently, though it wasn't exactly from the cold. It was dark and the Ivan's driver had yet to return to pick them up, which was not exactly helping the American's mood at the moment.

For some reason, the only movies playing in that theatre had been horror films. When he asked Ivan about it, the silverette only smiled and suggested it was merely a coincidence. Of course, being the Hero that he was, Alfred couldn't bring himself to ask if he and Ivan could do something else. That would have just been rude to Ivan, which was totally not okay according to the Hero Code of Conduct. Fortunately, Alfred had brought himself to watch all three movies, though he was definitely having nightmares tonight. Oh well, at least it had successfully distracted the Russian from their earlier discussion. Truthfully, that particular topic was one that Alfred had never wanted to bring up again.

Ivan giggled at his love's clinginess and placed a kiss atop his head. "I'm sorry, lyubov. Had I known the cinema would have only been playing horror films I would have suggested something else for our evening."

Actually, after hearing about the man's fear of anything supernatural during their drunken night at the bar, Ivan had paid (and threatened) the theatre to play their fines selection of horror movies. And, of course, with Alfred's 'Hero' complex, he knew the little American couldn't refuse a chance to prove his 'manliness', therefore resulting in an armful of Alfred for the past five and a half hours. Suffice to say, the Russian was currently in very good spirits.

Nuzzling further against Ivan's coat, Alfred looked up at the older man in slight confusion. "Didn't those movies scare you at all?" he pressed, eager to hear that he wasn't the only one suffering ill effects from the horror marathon.

"Not so much," Ivan smiled, "In fact, horror happens to be my favorite movie genre." Well, as of tonight it is. "Don't worry, moi podsolnechnik, I won't let any of the scary creatures of the dark hurt you."

Normally, Alfred wouldn't have wasted a second defending his 'manhood', but the mention of any type of scary creatures lurking in any sort of darkness only put the blond on edge even more. He tried not to draw too much attention to himself as he let his eyes fall from one shadowy area to the next. Something was bound to pop out at them now that Ivan had said something about it.

"Ah, Ivan! What a coincidence seeing you out here on a night like this, aru."

Letting out a rather high-pitched and unmanly yelp, Alfred practically burrowed into Ivan's coat like a terrified gopher. The older of the two stiffened at the voice, instinctually wrapping his arm protectively around his little American as he turned back to address the third party.

"What do you want?" he growled, annoyed. The last thing he had wanted today was his work interfering, and now it was staring him in the face wearing a brazen smirk.

Realizing it wasn't a ghost or some mutant creature from Chernobyl, Alfred peaked out from where he had buried himself. His blue eyes narrowed suspiciously on the obviously Asian man. Ivan didn't seem to be too fond of him either, and it was apparent the two knew each other.

Yao appeared slightly offended at the Russian's tone of voice, but blew it off with a conceded smile. He stepped forward, eyeing the strange little thing clinging to Ivan's chest. How strange…

"I saw you and your little… 'pet'," he gestured toward Alfred, instantly sparking a small flurry of anger within the officer, "taking a stroll and decided to join you, aru." His voice was practically dripping with false innocence.

Effectively restraining the now furious American, Ivan turned the younger back around, continuing down their path. The less time they spent around the worm, the better. He didn't turn back as he addressed the darker haired male, calling back in flawless Chinese, "If you even think about following us, I will not hesitate to shoot you in between the eyes."

"Being a little cruel now, aren't we?" Yao shot right back in his native tongue, jogging slightly to catch up with the two. He stopped on Ivan's right side, continuing in keeping up with the larger man's pace. "I merely wanted to continue our discussion from a few days ago," he said innocently, dark eyes locked on Alfred who merely glared back. It was obvious the puppy didn't understand what was being said between them, leading the Chinaman to believe this man wasn't involved with Braginski's organization.

"There is nothing more to discuss," the Russian growled lowly, "Now leave, unless you wish for me to kill you." He had really hoped that he wouldn't have to kill or maim anything tonight, especially since things had been going so smoothly until now. Alfred probably wouldn't take kindly to him just shooting Yao, either.

Yao grinned, ignoring the threat to his life as he stuck his nose high in the air, eyes still stuck firmly on Alfred who was proving rather amusing with his surly facial expressions. It was clear the pup didn't like him, then again, most people didn't take too fondly to his presence, so it was quite understandable. He'd just never known someone unaffiliated with the mafia who openly expressed their dislike for him.

"I don't think I've ever seen you before," Yao asked, switching back to Russian so the puppy could understand, "What is your name, 'pet'?"

The connotation on the word 'pet' was definitely insinuating this man was referring to him as Ivan's dog. Fists clenched at his sides so the knuckles glowed a snowy white, Alfred was practically red-faced at the Asian's transparent rudeness towards him. He was about to reply when Ivan cut him off, probably for the better.

"His name is none of your concern," the silverette bit back sharply, switching dialects back to Chinese mid-thought, "Now either tell me why you're here, or leave. I swear, if you disregard my threats one more time, you and everyone you know will die." His voice had dropped to a dangerous level, violet eyes blazing. Alfred had never heard Ivan sound so terrifying before. The Russian was clearly a force to be reckoned with when angry.

"I merely came here to inquire about the younger Vargas boy," the Asian replied smoothly, as if the threat had never been uttered, finally turning his eyes up from Alfred to Ivan. "Tell me, is he still in your possession?"

Eyeing the smaller man for a moment, Ivan turned his gaze straight ahead as they walked. "…Nyet. He escaped from me three days ago." The Russian prided himself in his ability to lie, hoping Yao wasn't shrewd enough to pick up on his con.

The oldest of the three looked contemplative for a moment about the information given, eyes flashing as thoughts raced. Ivan was starting to become nervous, but he did his best to keep his emotions hidden as this was a game of bluffs. If you allowed your expression to slip even for an instant, the game was lost and the penalty was death.

"I see," the smaller male finally replied, though his self-assured smirk remained, "This is quite unfortunate." He sighed, turning to cross the barren streets, "It was nice chatting with you, aru. Hopefully we can get together again, very soon…Vanya."

Alfred's attention peaked at hearing his lover's nickname through the torrents of Chinese, looking up at the other for some sort of explanation only to find Ivan's eyes narrowed dangerously on the road ahead of them, his cold flushed face just the slightest bit redder. With the way Ivan was glaring at the sidewalk, he thought it may just explode from the force of the Russian's gaze.

It was silent for the longest time as the two continued on, an awkward air surrounding the two that immediately ceased any thought of conversation. Alfred didn't know what would give first; if his head would explode from the massive amount of questions filing his mind or if he would suffocate from the tension in the air. Either way, the blond was pretty sure he'd be dead by the time the two returned to his apartment.

Finally, Alfred could take it no longer. Not only was he getting a headache, but he was becoming dizzy from the lack of oxygen. "So, uh…" he started, blue eyes drifting around aimlessly, landing anywhere but on the silverette, "Who was that?" His uninjured hand absentmindedly fiddled with the silver chain around his neck, thankfully providing his hand with something other to do than sit uselessly at his side.

"He was no one," Ivan replied quickly, tone still irate, "just an acquaintance."

Alfred visibly flinched under the other's harsh voice, but decided to keep going. "From work?"

The other didn't reply as quickly this time, letting a few moments pass before answering. "Da, from work…"

"…"

"…"

"Are…are you mad at me?"

Ivan's eyes quickly came to land on his little lover, finding the blond looking away nervously, refusing to meet his gaze. The fire in his eyes immediately settled, returning the amethyst to their original softness. He put his arm around the younger's slim waist, placing a kiss atop Alfred's head. "Nyet, moi lyubov, I am not mad at you. I apologize if anything I had done or said made you feel that way."

Like that, the tension in the atmosphere lightened, and Alfred released the breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He cast a bright, relieved grin up at the taller man, leaning his head against the Russian's shoulder. "Good, I was starting to get a little nervous there. You don't really like that guy, do you?"

"That is an understatement," the silverette snorted, "Not only that, but he ruined our evening together. He and I will definitely not be on good terms for a while." That was also the understatement of the century. The next time Ivan saw that little bastard, he was putting several bullets in some part of Yao's anatomy, that was for sure.

Alfred smiled, leaning up to place a kiss on Ivan's chin –as it was the only part of him he could reach while the other was standing at full height- "The evening's not totally ruined," he chirped happily, "We still have the rest of the night to make it better." Truth be told, Alfred himself was still a little caught up in that whole 'strange man using Ivan's nickname and in a really seductive manner, no less' thing, and try as he might he couldn't make the thoughts go away. Therefore, perhaps they could spend the rest of the evening to distract one another enough to salvage what was left of their date.

This seemed to soften the other's appearance even further and he nodded in agreement, leaning down to capture Alfred's lips in his own in a passionate kiss. All the while, he couldn't help himself as he wondered what Yao's real intentions were. Was he also after Feliciano, or where his true intentions far more sinister?

Ooooo, Yao and Romulous are getting devious ) Poor little Alfred is still so clueless it's sad, lol. Feli is also not as sweet and innocent as we first believed, now is he? Let's hope things work out for our two lovers ^J^

Next chapter, bad things happen and hopefully we get a visit from the rest of the Jones family! Stay tuned, and PLEASE REVIEW!