Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia: Axis Powers or its characters.

Along Came Arthur

Chapter One

It was a quiet Sunday morning at St. Thomas' Hospital in London. The patients rested in their rooms, unwilling to break the peaceful hush. Mrs. Kirkland was no exception to this unspoken rule. A devout Catholic, she held her small rosary in shaking hands. She whispered her prayers, unwilling to let her confinement prevent her from taking part on God's day. Once finished, she glanced to her small son sitting in the chair by her side.

The boy watched his mother's Sunday ritual through his messy, blond bangs. He smiled gently at his mother as she slowly reached out to push them from his face.

"You need a haircut, Arthur," she teased. Arthur's eyes widened comically.

"No!" he shouted. "I need my hair!" His mother gave him a questioning look.

"Why is that, love?"

"My hair hides my eyebrows," he mumbled, eyes downcast. Mrs. Kirkland chuckled.

"You do have your father's brow," she agreed with a smile. Arthur opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off as Mrs. Kirkland's doctor entered the room.

"Good morning!" he greeted the two. Mrs. Kirkland sent the doctor a friendly nod as Arthur waved with a toothy smile. Dr. Wang waved back at Arthur. "How are you today, Arthur?"

"I'm good!" Arthur answered.

"Good!" Dr. Wang faced Mrs. Kirkland, voice sobering. "And how are you feeling, Elizabeth?"

"Well enough, I suppose," she answered. Dr. Wang nodded, jotting down a quick note on his clip board. He bit his lip nervously as he reviewed some of the information on his paper. Mrs. Kirkland noticed. "Is everything alright, Yao?"

"Your test results are back," Dr. Wang explained. Mrs. Kirkland's mouth hardened into a flat line, knowing already what they would read. She turned to her confused son.

"Arthur, dear, can you please wait in the hallway while Dr. Wang and I discuss something?" She asked him. Arthur hesitated, but complied nonetheless. He jumped down from his chair and stepped into the hallway. Once there, he found another seat in which to wait. As Arthur settled himself, Mrs. Kirkland returned her attention to her doctor. Dr. Wang settled in the previously occupied chair.

"Your test results came back positive. I'm so sorry," he said softly. Mrs. Kirkland's eyes widened. She felt her throat tighten as she took a deep breath, forcing herself to remain calm. After all, she knew that her health was not improving. She glanced to her son in the hallway through the window in her room as he ruffled through the pages of a women's fashion magazine. He wasn't reading the articles, choosing instead to watch something down the hall.

"What happens now?" she whispered, eyes glued to Arthur.

"Well, we will do everything we can to keep the tumor from spreading. Unfortunately, we caught it late and I'm not sure of how much we can do. You'll need to start chemotherapy, of course."

As Dr. Wang spoke, Mrs. Kirkland continued to watch her son. His skinny legs swung back and forth as they weren't quite long enough to touch the floor. Born two months premature, he had always been small. The magazine slipped from his hands and fluttered to the ground. Arthur jumped slightly, having forgotten what he was holding. He slipped out of his seat and picked the magazine up from the ground. He trotted over to a small, metal rack and placed the magazine back where it belonged. As he turned around, he noticed an elderly man in a wheel chair coming his way. He pinned himself to the wall to allow the man as much passing space as possible. The man chuckled at Arthur's polite gesture and Arthur flashed him a crooked grin. After the man passed, Arthur went back to his chair, swinging his legs contently once again.

"Mrs. Kirkland?" Dr. Wang asked.

"I can't trouble them anymore," Mrs. Kirkland responded. Dr. Wang looked at her, slightly flustered.

"I'm sorry?"

"The neighbors. I can't ask them to watch Arthur any longer. It's been too long as it is and I know that I won't be healthy any time soon. I need to find someone else to watch him." She buried her misty eyes in her dry hands. "But I have no idea who."

"His father, perhaps?" Dr. Wang suggested. Mrs. Kirkland barked a laugh, causing Dr. Wang to jump.

"That drunken bastard? I don't think so," she responded.

"You mentioned before that he has a few older brothers. Perhaps one of them?"

"Allistor and his wife have two toddlers and a third on the way and Dylan and Seamus are both at university," Mrs. Kirkland sighed. "I would ask my brother and his wife, but both of their sons have recently moved out and they're enjoying their early retirement by traveling the world." Silence filled the room until a soft knocking sounded through the door.

"Can I come back inside now?" Arthur mumbled.

"Yes, love," Mrs. Kirkland responded. Arthur entered the room and returned to his mother's side. She took in her son's features. He had pale skin, much like herself, and her green eyes. His heavy eyebrows, of course, were his father's, a trait that did not belong in the Jones family. But he had that light blond hair that looked just like her brother's sons at that age. She gasped, suddenly struck with an idea.

"I know who can watch Arthur."

A young man waited patiently in line at Starbucks. His eyes ran briefly over the menu as he contemplated what to buy. He stepped forward as it came to be his turn to order.

"Welcome to Starbucks! How can I help you?" the cashier asked.

"I'll have a tall Iced Caffè Mocha, please," Alfred said, pulling out his wallet to pay. The cashier pushed a few buttons before telling Alfred the price. He gave her a five and she gave him his change.

"Your name?" she asked.

"Alfred Jones." The Sharpie marker slipped from the girl's hand and fell to the floor. Her eyes grew wide as she looked Alfred up and down.

"Alfred Jones?! As in the Alfred Jones?! As in the man who plays Dave on Huntington High?" Alfred nodded.

"You a fan?" he winked. The girl nodded furiously.

"Oh my god, you have no idea!" she squealed. "Jamie! Come here!" Another girl, Jamie, glanced to the first from a nearby table. Her jaw dropped and she dashed over to the counter.

"Oh my god, it's Alfred Jones! I love your show! You're amazing!" Alfred chuckled.

"Thank you," he said, leaning towards them slightly.

"Do you mind if we take a photo with you?" Jamie asked. Alfred shrugged.

"Sure. Why not?" The first girl quickly joined them on the other side of the counter and pulled her phone from her pocket. The three of them squished close together as they took the picture. Once finished, the girls handed Alfred his drink and he left the Starbucks behind him. The Los Angeles sun warmed his tan skin and he pulled his sunglasses from his t-shirt collar and put them on. He glanced at the time on his phone and panicked slightly as he noticed he was running late. He hurried off to the studio. Twenty minutes later, he found himself bursting through the studio doors.

"Sorry I'm late!" he announced as the door slammed behind him. He noticed the director of Huntington High, Francis Bonnefoy, rolled his eyes. It wasn't unusual for Alfred to run late.

"Ah, Alfred. How nice of you to join us. What kept you today?" Francis asked.

"I, um, wanted Starbucks," Alfred said lamely. Francis noticed the now empty coffee cup in Alfred's hand.

"Well, you're here now. Head over to make-up and get ready," Francis instructed. Alfred nodded and hurried off to his make-up artist, Katyusha.

"And cut! That was very good you two. Go ahead and take a break while we set up for the next scene," Francis instructed. Alfred and his co-stars, Antonio and Mathias, nodded. They chatted as they walked off-set, unsure of where to spend their break. Alfred's attention was turned away from his friends as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Alfred? Your aunt Elizabeth called while you were filming," Tino, an intern, informed.

"Did she leave a message or anything?" Alfred asked. Tino shook his head.

"Not really, no. She just said it was very important and to call her back as soon as you could."

"Alright, I'll go ahead and do that now. Thanks, Tino." Tino nodded and hurried off. Alfred informed Mathias and Antonio and left for his trailer. As he stepped outside, he felt the warm sun on his skin once again, and felt slightly disappointed when it left as he entered his trailer. Once inside the trailer, he picked his cell phone up from a table and called his aunt. His brow furrowed in concern as he imagined possible scenarios. He rarely interacted with his British relatives and wondered what the occasion was. He was soon met with a greeting.

"Hello? Alfred, dear?" she asked. Alfred cleared his throat.

"Aunt Elizabeth? Yeah, it's me. What's up?"

Alfred listened quietly as his aunt explained her predicament. He sank into his leather couch, unable to support himself completely as his aunt explained her illness. He stared blankly at the floor of his trailer, nodding along even though he knew his aunt could not see him. He wasn't close to his aunt or his cousins, however he couldn't help but be saddened by the news.

"And he doesn't have anywhere to go," Mrs. Kirkland explained to Alfred. "I know that you're quite young and that you're extremely busy but I just don't have anyone else that I can turn to."

"Yeah, I get it," Alfred replied.

"I understand if you need some time to think it over," Mrs. Kirkland offered.

"No, it's really no trouble at all." Mrs. Kirkland cried gently with relief. It created a quiet crackling through the phone.

"Thank you so much, Alfred," she said. "I will contact you later when I get the details straightened out."

"Alright, sounds good. I hope you feel better soon," Alfred replied, unsure of what to say. As their conversation came to an end, Alfred was met with an eerie silence in his trailer. Thoughts ran through his mind as he thought about what he just agreed to do. He stared blankly ahead, blue eyes devoid of emotion. However, it wasn't long before Antonio and Mathias entered his trailer.

"We can go home early today! Francis is in one of his moods and claims that he is 'just not feeling the vibe today,'" Mathias informed Alfred, imitating the director's French accent. His smile dropped as he noticed Alfred's solemn mood. "Are you alright?"

"My aunt is dying," Alfred replied. Antonio crinkled his brow with worry and hurried to sit by his friend.

"I'm so sorry, Alfred," he said. Alfred shook his head.

"I just didn't see it coming. I mean, we weren't really that close or anything but it's still weird. It's just all very surreal."

"Is there anything we can do for you?" Mathias asked.

"No. Thanks, though." Alfred was silent for a moment. "There's something else." His friends gave him a questioning look. "She asked me to look after her youngest son." Antonio gasped slightly.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"I said that I would do it."

"Alfred! Did you even think that through? Do you even know how to look after a kid?" Mathias interjected. Alfred glared weakly at him.

"Well what else could I say? There's no one else in our family that can take him. It's not exactly like I could let her down."

"Sorry, it's just that you're nineteen. How old is the kid?"

"He's five."

"Shit, man." Mathias ran a hand through his spiked hair.

"Look, Alfred," Antonio started, "we're here for you. If you need help, just let us know. Right, Mathias?" The Dane nodded weakly, refusing to look either of his friends in the eye.

Alfred sighed, thinking of what was to come. He didn't know how he would look after his youngest cousin - he wasn't entirely sure he could look after himself properly – but he wouldn't turn his back on the kid. After all, Arthur was losing his mother, and Alfred refused to let the child feel completely abandoned and alone.

So I started this instead of finishing chapter three of "The History of England." Jeez. That's coming at some point! I promise!