The following is from Arthur's POV. It's split into two parts. The first is about his meeting with Francis. The second is something which happens some time after the last chapter.


Sixth Audition

It had been six years since his decision to be an actor. Six years since his family had mocked him and he had drifted away, finally severing all ties. And in those six years, he still had not been cast in anything besides minor advertisements.

His grip on the script tightened. He absolutely had to be perfect today. No slip-ups. Pronounce everything clearly. Make sure his emotions actually showed. Smile at the people casting. Be civil. Nothing could go wrong.

Beside him, other men were practising their 'British' accents. Really, now! He should be hired just on the principle of actually being British. Though he should probably correct them – a 'British' accent never existed.

Arthur yawned. All this waiting about was normally nerve-racking but, this time, he was so sure he would get it. After all, he had to have a break some time, didn't he? And this time he needed the role.

This time he would get what he wanted.


Emerging from the room, Arthur sighed. The two men and one woman judging him had not looked impressed. The usual reply of 'we'll get back to you' rung in his ears. It was true that they very well might but Arthur had always imagined that, if he was perfect for the role, he'd be told so at the audition.

Discouraged, Arthur flipped through the script, trying to work out what he could have done better. As such, he walked round a corner and straight into the path of another person. He glanced up in time to see alarmed blue eyes just before they collided. Both of them overbalanced and ended up on the ground, groaning in pain.

"I am so sorry!" cried Arthur, hurrying to his feet as he recovered first. The other man was also blonde but his hair was longer and smoother than Arthur's, perhaps as a result of several hair products. Stubble on his chin threatened to become a beard but Arthur had a feeling that he kept it that way deliberately. As Arthur held out a hand to help the man to his feet, he smiled pleasantly up at the actor. "I wasn't looking where I was going!" continued Arthur. "I'm terribly sorry!"

"De rien, chéri," said the man as he grasped Arthur's hand. For a moment, Arthur stiffened, recognising the accent and the language, even if he was unaware of what he had said. Biting his lip to prevent himself from saying anything that could be construed as an insult, Arthur pulled the Frenchman to his feet. Then he noticed he had dropped his script and, after a quick look around, picked it up from the floor.

"Well, once again, I apologise," said Arthur and stepped around the man.

"Wait!" exclaimed the man. Pausing, Arthur turned back to him, frowning. Blue eyes flickered to the papers in his hand. "Are you an actor?" Not sure what to say to that, Arthur nodded. "Are you unable to get cast in anything?"

Arthur was scowling now. "That's none of your business."

"It is," the man assured him. "I am Francis Bonnefoy – a director."

The Englishman perked up at this. "A director?" asked Arthur. "Really?"

"Oui. And it just so happens I am looking for an attractive young man." Francis smirked at him.

Trying not to blush and knowing he was failing, Arthur rolled his eyes and folded his arms. "Really? You expect me to believe that you just so happen to be in the market for an actor? I'm not going to sleep with you, if that's what you're trying to achieve."

"Non, non," sighed Francis, dismissively. He even waved a head and shook his head. "I already have someone for that. Though, if you are interested...?"

"No."

"Then I have a proposition for you."

"Yes?"

"I am a director for a popular porn series-"

"No!" exclaimed Arthur, his blush definitely spreading. "Leave me alone, Frog!" he snapped as he turned to walk away. A hand on his arm stopped him in his tracks, however, and he turned to glare. "Get-"

"I will pay you well."

"What?"

"You are a struggling actor, oui? You need money – I can provide you with more than whatever your current job pays."

Francis' eyes were intense as they gazed into Arthur's. Chewing his lip a little, Arthur found himself seriously considering it. "I..."

"Come now! Surely having money for this sort of job is much better than scraping the bottom of your bank for the next meal?"

"What exactly will I have to do?" asked Arthur, his eyes narrowed.

Those dangerous blue eyes, which seemed rather cold to Arthur, glinted. "Why, act, of course!"

And Arthur knew he was hooked. He was being offered a role and, by the sounds of it, a steady job. Desperately, he tried to resist his yearning. "Act as if I'm having sex?" he asked, trying his best to sound suspicious and unconvinced. "And that's all?"

"Oui!" said Francis, cheerfully. "I have the perfect person to pair you with. What do you say?"

"Hm. I thought porn stars actually had to have sex..."

"I suppose they do. I am sure it will not be too much trouble to act as though you are enjoying it."

"I don't..."

Sighing, Francis shrugged. "Well, I am in a hurry, so-"

"Wait!" exclaimed Arthur, grabbing hold of Francis' arm this time. He may not have wanted to stoop to whoring himself out but... Porn was different, wasn't it? Firmly, he told himself that it was, giving himself the determination to continue. "I-I'll do it, okay?"

"Bien!" cried Francis as he put a hand inside his jacket and drew out a business card. "This is where I will need you to be. Do not worry about bank details – I will give you money in cash if you are still wary. Though, I must say, paying it into the bank is much simpler. Now, if you will excuse me, I shall leave you be. Ah! Be there this Thursday, at eight, s'il vous plait!" And with that, he swept off, leaving Arthur staring at the card and feeling both elated and guilty.


The silence in the kitchen was deafening, increasing Arthur's guilt. Should he really go through with the porn job? After all, seated at the table across from him was his fiancée, for goodness' sake! Would Elizaveta be angry at him if he was acting with other women like that? Arthur couldn't remember the last time they had been together – it had been before the pregnancy, anyway. It could seriously hurt her if she ever found out.

He decided to speak up. "I got offered a job today, honey," he said, a little hesitant.

"An acting job?" asked Elizaveta, smiling happily as she brushed her long, brown hair behind a shoulder.

"Well, yes, of a sort," said Arthur, grimacing a little as he poked at his stew with a fork.

"'Of a sort'?" repeated Elizaveta, a confused expression passing across her face.

"Yes. It's... an independent filming company. Nothing may come of it, but..."

"That's wonderful news, Arthur!" cried Elizaveta, beaming. "I hope it goes well!"

"Of course it will," said Arthur, smiling slightly at her excitement despite the guilt gnawing at him. He couldn't tell her what it was actually for. There was no way she would let him do this. If he acted his socks off (as well as his other clothes), he would no doubt be able to progress from porn to better roles.

"What sort of character will you be portraying?" she asked.

"Er, the director was rather vague about that – I expect I'll be told more on Thursday when I go to see him."

"Ah."

"It will pay much more than the diner job," Arthur added. "Thankfully. It just means I won't be around on Thursday nights. I'll make sure Roderich pops in those nights. Just to make sure you're okay." He smiled slightly at her. Elizaveta's smile faded a little but she nodded.

Arthur returned his attention to eating, thoughts running through his mind. He had to look after Elizaveta, he had to look after their child, he needed more money, he wanted to act, he wished his family were closer to him, he had noticed Elizaveta acting a little oddly. All of these conflicting thoughts, suspicions and emotions were beginning to wear him down. Hopefully this porn role would help.


Since the evening he had spoken to Elizaveta, Arthur had been thinking about his options. His final decision was rather disheartening and made him stare at the doors of the lift sadly. Depending on his monetary situation, he would only do this once or twice. With enough money saved up for the baby and the wedding, everything would be fine. Then he could escape from being a 'porn star' and renew his efforts to be an actor. A proper actor. Hopefully no-one would discover his porn career.

Now that his determination had returned, his guilt had been washed away. But not his nerves. His fingers were gripping the bottom of his ridiculous shirt a little too tightly and he tried to take deep breaths to calm himself. It was silly, really. He could do this.

The lift jerked to a stop and the doors opened. Before he could start to doubt himself, Arthur marched down the hallway. He had already let Francis know he was coming. There was no way he could let himself miss an appointment.

Finally, he arrived at his destination and he paused at the door. Staring at the number, he realised that it felt a little as though his life was about to change. Perhaps it would, for the better, he hoped.

Taking a deep breath, Arthur raised a fist and knocked sharply on the door.


Sixth Holiday

"Huh," said Arthur to himself. "It's the second road on the left – and straight on till Morningside. Alfred will love this." Speaking of the American, Arthur lifted his gaze from the map and squinted through the car's and shop's windows, trying to catch a glimpse of him. Where the heck had he gotten to?

With a sigh, the Brit folded up the map and placed it in the glove compartment. Once his hands were free, something on his finger caught the sunlight and glinted. Smiling, Arthur lifted his hand to gaze at the ring on his left hand. His wedding band.

Every time he spotted it on his hand, a sense of being loved more than anyone else in the world swept over him. Of course, he knew that the rest of the time but, really, the ring meant so much. He sighed happily, glad that his husband wasn't around to laugh at his sentimentality.

Another glance towards the interior of the petrol station made Arthur bite his lip, though. Where was he? He had said he was going in to pay for their petrol and pick up some snacks. So why was he taking so long? Was he all right?

Pushing the door open with his shoulder, Arthur hopped out of the jeep. He had argued with Alfred about it being a gas guzzler but, really, it was more because it was so big Arthur felt he needed climbing equipment to get in and out of it. Walking around the car he strode to the shop door, trying not to appear frantic.

Inside, he blinked and waited for his eyes to get used to the dim lighting. There were rows of snacks and travelling essentials and postcards and other such things. A bored man with black hair and stubble glanced at him before returning his attention to the small television hidden behind the counter. At the other end of the shop, Alfred was bent over something. Sighing, Arthur stalked up to him and tapped his shoulder. "What on Earth is taking so long?" he asked, quietly, afraid to break the still air.

Alfred gasped and spun round. His surprise quickly turned to a loving smile and he kissed Arthur's forehead. "You gave me a fright, Art."

"Yes, sorry," said Arthur, his voice even more hushed. Alfred had never been able to keep his voice quiet. "What is taking you so long? Surely that's enough? You can barely keep all that in your arms!" He gestured at the mound of crisps and chocolate and fizzy juice. Perhaps he should have picked up a basket on the way in, Arthur considered, eyeing him.

In response, Alfred grinned. "I thought we could use some entertainment in the cabin. Y'know, at night – when we're not..."

His cheeks pink, Arthur shook his head. "I thought we already had some board games in the car? And I'm sure you managed to sneak in some DVDs, as well."

"Yeah, but I thought it'd be fun to see what crappy DVDs this place would have."

"Did you find anything interesting?" asked Arthur, shaking his head once again.

The grin on his face widened. "Yeah. I definitely did." And with that, he held up the one in his hand which Arthur had failed to notice.

Lazily, Arthur glanced at it. He looked back to his husband's face – only to return his attention to the cover, his eyes wide. "W-What?!" he breathed. "P-Put that away before someone sees!"

"What's wrong with it?" teased Alfred, flipping it over to look at the picture. Arthur and his husband were both on it, one of their sweet kisses on that bed in the hotel almost leaping out in its high definition. The title, Amazing American Sweetness, made Arthur cringe inwardly. Francis' naming techniques were really awful.

And then Alfred began to read the blurb.

"The charismatic Alfred and his lover Arthur get into another-"

"Alfred!" hissed Arthur, grabbing the DVD from his grasp. Panicking a little, Arthur looked for somewhere to place the offending item out of harm's way.

"Aw, come on, Art. What's up with you?"

"After all I've battled towards and you're just going to walk up to someone and hand over that! They will most certainly recognise me! And then the whole world will know... You know what the paparazzi is like..." Arthur shivered and started to rearrange the DVDs in the rack so that he could hide the one in his hands.

Sighing, Alfred reached out awkwardly and grasped Arthur's wrist. "You're always saying you don't care if they find out. Don't you want them to see how much we love each other?"

Arthur blushed and glanced up at him. "I... It's not that. But doing it so blatantly..."

Leaning in, Alfred glanced at the cashier who was ignoring them. "I doubt anyone'll believe him, anyhow. C'mon, Artie – let's get it! Then we can do it while we're-"

"Al! Do you have no shame?!" The only response was a grin and a shrug as Alfred straightened up. For a moment, Arthur bit his lip. "Okay, fine. But I'm going back to the car. Don't take too long, okay?"

Back in his seat, Arthur spun his wedding ring around his finger. The reason for his panic was due to his career. Six years after meeting Alfred, he had finally become a world-famous actor. It was all he had ever dreamed it would be. Of course, poor Alfred was dragged around the world with him. Though, it had been him who had insisted on being his only PA. And so, with a lucky break in a few episodes of a short TV show (which had gained a cult following), both Arthur and Alfred had broken out of the porn business. Francis had been a little put-out – but screw the Frog. There was no way Arthur was leaving his husband in the hands of anyone else. So he was always paranoid about anyone learning of his year letting people film the two of them having sex. If it became widely known, there would be an uproar. Would he ever gain new roles? He only hoped the cashier wouldn't recognise him on the front cover of that DVD.

"Hey!" cried Alfred as he threw open the driver's door. Slipping into his seat, he placed a large bag in the back seat before turning to Arthur. Simultaneously, they leaned towards each other and shared a quick kiss. "I don't think you have anything to worry about!" claimed Alfred as he slammed his door shut. Arthur winced at the sound.

"And why do you say that?"

"I have no idea what he was watching but he barely looked at what he was scanning. And I made sure I had it barcode side up. So he didn't even flip it, just shoved it into the bag. So, no need to worry, honey!"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "And whose fault is it that I'm worrying?"

"Aw, c'mon. Don't be like that," whined Alfred as he started the car. "It's our anniversary. It should be all loving words and lotsa sex!"

A roll of his eyes once again, even though he was smiling slightly. "Yes. Well, let's go."

"How far is it?"

When Arthur told him, Alfred moaned. "Dammit! Peter Pan was right there! You shoulda told me and I'd have got that instead!"

"I think what you bought was fine, love. Rather romantic, I suppose." They grinned at each other and Alfred held out his hand. Arthur took and twined their fingers with a smile.

Who would have thought being so desperate would have brought him this much happiness?


God. That ending is so cheesy. I apologise. It was supposed to be more epic. Oh, well.

I know they probably still live in LA so I'm not sure how they got married. Whatever. EDIT: Someone just told me that theycan get married in LA! Awesome!

Morningside probably does not exist as a cabin beside a large lake (which is what I was picturing). It's purely there as a bad joke which resulted in the mention of Peter Pan. Sorry.

Since Elizaveta and Roderich didn't crop up... They got married and had a cute little girl called Daisy. (Who looks vaguely like Chibitalia. No, the kid isn't actually a boy - she's really a girl.)

In the first part, I was going to have Francis and Arthur's conversation when he asks to talk to him privately when he discovers Alfred is who he's being paired with. But I felt knocking on the door was a better place to end it at that part. Basically, Arthur tells him he's never done anything like this before and isn't sure he can do it. (With lots of heavy hinting.) Francis just tells him it'll be fine and explains what he'll be doing in a little more detail. Arthur was then told how much he was being paid and he was left speechless. So they went back to the room and - boom - first night.

The sequel will be called Found in Odd Situations: Maple and Beer. Unless the site doesn't allow the whole title then I'll probably name it FiOS: Maple and Beer.

At some point, I will upload this all to Deviant Art cause I'm a little wary of this getting taken down. ^^" So, if this disappears, you may find it there. If I ever get around to uploading and formatting everything.

So. Uh. The End.