This Town is Big Enough...

Arthur had started to dose after thinking for a little while. He snapped awake at the sound of Alfred's voice, blinking himself into awake, trying not to alert Alfred that he had been starting to fall asleep. Still he felt his jerk cause the chair to rock forward a bit. He turned to Alfred at his questions. He clearly was not going to let it drop till he got something reasonable, and not a childish nightmare as an excuse. He sighed, tapping his finger lightly on one of the arms of the chair. He didn't want to say anything, but he didn't want Alfred to keep pestering him. "I'm fine, just needed some fresh air," Arthur said. And to get away from you for a while to think. He added in his head.

The nightmare was the real reason that Arthur was outside thinking and rather restless all of last night. "I suppose in a way I'm out here because of the nightmare." Arthur admitted truthfully. "I needed to clear my head and prove there was no way it would happen." That part wasn't true. There was a very clear chance his nightmare could come true. Ivan really could choke him, hold him down at choke him, and could sure as hell do more than chuck him. "It was a silly, clearly something I didn't need to get myself so worked up over."

Arthur glanced down at his feet. He had a good excuse, something that was more believable that a dragon trying to eat him. The Englishman could probably keep going with that story, but Alfred has seemed to see through it too much for him to continue.

Alfred watched the other man carefully. From the tiredness behind his eyes, it was clear he hadn’t gotten much (or any) sleep after his nightmare. Somehow, he very much doubted that a childish fear of dragons was not to blame for the loss of any rest. He sighed and leaned forward, slipping his fingers within Arthur’s in a comforting manner. “Can you tell me what the nightmare was really? I know you better than to believe that you lost sleep over a dragon trying to eat you.” Not only did it bother him that Arthur refused to let him in on what was worrying him so much, but he also refused to admit that it could potentially be a problem. Alfred hated the idea what he would be wearing his body out and not getting adequate sleep because of some fear that he refused to acknowledge. It was just so unnecessary!

He sighed a bit and leaned back against the rocking chair, keeping Arthur’s hand within his own. All around them the small town was beginning to prepare for the day, bustling around as they worked to get the morning started off right. The sense of normality was comforting, but still so strange in Alfred’s eyes. He felt like an outsider watching as life was lived without him. Tilting his head back to Arthur, he offered him a small smile and a light squeeze where their hands were connected. “I already told you I would keep you safe no matter what. You don’t have to be afraid of anything anymore.”

Arthur smiled at the feeling of Alfred's fingers intertwining with his own, he knew for that it would always bring a smile to his face. With his free hand he followed the grain of the wood with his fingernail and bit the inside of his lips. He was still going to lie, a more believable one, and he felt bad, but Arthur had a feeling the American would try something if he told him. "I..." He paused, shivering a bit at the lie he had come up with, because if he honestly had that dream he would really freak out, way more than he had, but Alfred didn't need to know that. "I dreamed that Ivan somehow controlled you, made you do horrible things," he admitted quietly, pausing "you weren't you anymore."

He glanced away from Alfred. The idea of the fake dream itself would be enough to keep Arthur up for hours on end. Arthur could learn to deal with the dreams about imprisonment with Ivan would be like, the one last night had caught him off guard. He sighed at the young sheriff's words. You can't protect me if your dead, injured, or captured. Arthur thought in his head.

"Obviously I don't think that will happen, Ivan can't control you, so it's silly," Arthur said with a wave of his free hand. He wanted Alfred to drop the subject so he could stop lying to him to keep him safe.

The description of Arthur’s dream was enough to set the young American on edge. Although he knew it was impossible for anyone to gain control over his actions, the thought sent shivers down his spine. To be completely at someone else’s will - to do horrible things without being able to stop them. That was a great fear indeed. But Alfred couldn’t let the Brit know how much the idea shook him to the core. He was supposed to be the comforting one. The one who showed the other that silly nightmares were nothing to pay attention to. “I’ll always be me Artie,” He said with an easy smile. “You know that. Well unless you somehow mistake Mattie for me, than I might not be. But that would be the only instance.” Alfred laughed at that and gave Arthur’s hand another squeeze. “Thanks for finally telling me,” He said, before letting the subject drop entirely.

Alfred glanced to his opposite side, mind wandering back to the dreams he had the other night. There had been a time when he hadn’t been terrified of Ivan. Back when he was still Vanya, still a friend. He silently wondered if any part of his childhood friend still remained within the man who called himself a crime lord. And if so, was there any way to access that part of him. He bit his lip and cautiously avoided Arthur’s emerald eyes. He had never told the Brit what his connection to Ivan really had been, or why he might be interested in him in the first place. But if their actions were going to have any lasting effect, the time may have come for the truth to be known. “Hey Artie…”

How could he say what he needed to say? After all that had happened, all that Ivan had done, it couldn’t bring himself to believe that he was all bad. There had to be a part of him that was still that small, scared little boy he had once known. And more than anything, he wanted to save him from the monster he had become. “I think we’re going to have to change our tactics a bit,” Alfred finally decided to say, eyes fixed straight ahead of him to avoid any questioning looks. “I think… when we meet Ivan again, we shouldn’t fight him. Nobody is all bad and even though he’s done terrible things, I think if we just… I dunno, do something, we could bring him back to his senses. Maybe stop him from harming anyone else.”

Arthur was glad the subject had been dropped for good this time. Even if Arthur had informed Alfred of a fake dream, he was comforted by Alfred like he knew it was true. He was happy the whole thing was over, but it seemed like something was troubling Alfred in return. Arthur bit back a sigh. He didn't know what to do at all. The Englishman started wide eyed at the American when he heard what he was saying. He didn't understand where it all had suddenly came for. Ivan had tired to break Alfred's soul, and Alfred was going to change the way things so it was like Ivan was just a friend who went a little crazy.

"Braginski doesn't work like that, Alfred." Arthur said, and from everything Arthur had heard it was true. Ivan was not fond of people getting in his way, there was little room for slip ups and failed jobs. Arthur hadn't heard a story of how Ivan let someone go out of mercy or pity. If anything he saw opportunity to expand his criminal empire. Besides just walking up to Ivan would probably get Arthur shot, or taken away.

Alfred winced when Arthur immediately shot down his idea. That was about what he had expected, but it didn’t mean he was any more prepared for the disbelief etched deeply within the Brit’s tone. “I know it doesn’t make much sense to say, especially after everything that has happened,” He remembered the shattering of his heart when he was told that Arthur had been murdered and the long months of solitude that followed. No human being in their right state of mind would push that kind of torment onto another person. Especially one whom they used to be close with. Some demon had to be latched onto Ivan’s mind, making him act out in such cruel in violent ways. But that didn’t mean that was all he was. He could remember when he was Vanya, a friend, playful if not a tad bit unsure of himself.

The sheriff continued, keeping his fingers interlocked within Arthur’s as he spoke. “I really do believe that if I get the chance to just talk to him. I don’t know, I could help bring him back to the way he used to be. He wasn’t always like this. I know he wasn’t.” Arthur wasn’t going to like this plan at all, and he could see why immediately. After all the time, effort, and sacrifice that went into freeing him from that terrible prison, he was willing to all but throw it away on the off chance that he could bring and old friend back from the depths of insanity. But what other choice did they have? It was either try and save him or spend the rest of their days hiding from his clutches. He didn’t want to live in constant fear that this would be the day they would be discovered - that this was the day he would lose Arthur for good.

“We don’t have much else of a choice. Unless you’re planning on killing him.” Please don’t let that be an option. Alfred understood self-defense, but he didn’t want to have the blood of any human being on his hands. Even more so, he didn’t want Arthur to be put through that trauma again. There were other options that would be better in the long run for everyone. If Arthur gave him the chance to prove himself that is.

Arthur sighed, why did Alfred always have to see the good in people. It was a good quality, but that didn't mean everyone wanted to be good. "I'm not planning on killing him." Arthur said easily, even though he had every reason there probably was to wish to kill someone. He was sure he wouldn't have have the guts to go through with it. Arthur could be a violent person when he wanted to be, but it was clear never wished to take someone's life. He would much rather see someone horrible rot away in prison than be shot dead. "Doesn't mean I don't want to shot him though." Arthur added, honestly if Ivan did anything out of hand he would as sure as hell shot him again.

"And what do you mean 'he used to be'?" Arthur questioned with a raised eyebrow. Even for seeing the good in everyone, Alfred's choice of words said something else completely. Sure not many people knew about Ivan's history, only that he eventually came from Russia or something like that happened. "I mean I can understand that he wasn't always so...cruel, but you say it like you knew him personally." Arthur said his green eyes searching Alfred's face. "Well, at least from your wording."

Although he knew that Arthur didn’t exactly enjoy ending people’s lives, it was still a relief to hear that he wasn’t planning on letting it go that far with Ivan. Murder when there is another option is never justifiable. He understood why Arthur had chosen to kill the bounty hunter all those months ago, but those were special circumstances. His life was at stake, and he needed to move fast in order to protect himself. But with Ivan, Alfred felt that there was still a chance to save him. If only they could get through to the boy he used to know underneath the crime lord.

Arthur’s question caught him off guard, and he quickly glanced the other way uncomfortably. Well, he did have to fess up eventually, but this really wasn’t a conversation he was ready to have. But for both of their sakes, he had to be honest and direct. Arthur would expect nothing less of him. “I may have known him back when we were younger…” Alfred said, refusing to at Arthur as he spoke. This was already a difficult enough of a topic for him and he wasn’t looking forward to the outburst that was sure to follow after he had explained himself entirely. “Back when I used to live in Virginia, I meet him right after my mother died. We were… I guess… best friends….”

His voiced trailed off after that and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. There, it was all out now. He hoped Arthur wouldn’t be too upset with him for concealing this information for so long - but it never seemed to be the right time. Before he was still so terrified of Ivan, but now he had realized that maybe all he really needed was some help and guidance. He could get over his childish fear of the Russian if it meant saving somebody’s life in the long run.

"Oh..." Arthur said. He had not been expecting that at all. Arthur wasn't going to judge with the new information. It made a bit more sense now that Alfred said that. Of course did didn't explained the weird treatment from Ivan. Obviously somewhere between when the two were friends and now something had happened, because other wise Alfred and Ivan would still be friends and Arthur would probably still be a criminal because ALfred was till in Virgina. Arthur in a way wanted to know, because it must have been a serious grudge for Ivan to do as he did to Alfred. "Do you have any idea why he might be acting like this?" Arthur asked, even though most reasons really didn't make that much sense at all.

He gave Alfred's hand a small squeeze when he noticed the American's movements. "The past is the past, Alfred." He said gently, there was nothing he could do to change any of it.

At the comforting squeeze of the hand, Alfred looked back and smiled. His fear of some violent reaction or words had all bit slipped away as Arthur took this new bit of information rather calmly. It relaxed the young man and allowed him to focus in on the questions he was being asked directly. Although he hadn’t tried to think about the reasons why he and Ivan had fallen out of contact all those years ago, it might be important now that they were sure to face each other again. If Arthur could determine the reasons behind the Russian’s insanity, maybe there was a chance to save him yet.

“I don’t know why he’s chosen to become a criminal,” He admitted, glancing back towards the horizon thoughtfully. “But I can guess why he hates me.” Alfred went silent for a long time before pulling his hand away from Arthur’s grip. Turning around, he gave him a small smile and stood up. “I think it’s time we see what Mattie and that creepy Frenchie are doing. It’s breakfast time and those two should wake up already! I want to get the day started off right!” He went off on a small rant about the importance of eating breakfast and waking up with the sun as he headed into the house. This was a conversation he needed to have with Arthur at some point, but not right now.

Arthur was about to yell at Alfred for walking away and leaving him hanging like he had, but he sighed instead. After all he had kept something from Alfred, he should allow Alfred to keep somethings away from him. He couldn't help but smile as well as Alfred went of ranting. With a roll of his eyes, the Englishman got up from the chair and followed after the American and his rant. "You're going to wake Francis and your brother up when they slept in the same room?" Arthur said with a teasing tone as he located the small kitchen in the house. He quickly made his way over and looked at the assortment of pots the two had.

"You can if you want to, but I believe I know a way of waking up Francis that is way more fun than what it might be knocking on his door." Arthur side, picking up a heavy cast iron pan and a metal spoon. He had done it a few times before to Francis when they had run into each other on the road and camped out together. Arthur was always an early riser, so he had cooked breakfast for the too. His cooking was not horrid as Francis said it was simply not polished off. So making it sound like he was cooking usually woke the man up out of free. "Would like to see this wonderful method?" Arthur had a feeling if Francis scrambled awake, he would somehow wake Matthew up. Arthur felt sorry for Matthew, but he would rather not walk in and find the aftermath of a night before. That is to say that they did anything.

Alfred immediately halted all movements when the realization sunk in. His sweet Matthew had slept in the same room as Francis. Oh god what horrible things had that perverted Frenchman done to his innocent brother?! And while they were in the house too! Only the most vile of perverts dared to do anything of that nature around guests! “Gross! You don’t think that they really…” His nose wrinkled and he quickly turned away from the staircase, trying to push the terrible image out of his head. Why did his wonderful brother have to go fall for such a creeper? Worst of all, he’s French! Nothing good ever comes from France! It was common knowledge!

Thankfully Arthur detracted him from his train of thought by moving over to the assortment of cooking utensils they had laying about. Curious as to what the Brit was going to do, Alfred stepped forward, smiling eagerly. “Heck yes!” Usually when Arthur described something as being ‘wonderful’, that usually meant painful for the other party. But as long as he wasn’t the one on the receiving end, he was eager to play along with whatever was going to happen. Besides, Francis probably deserved it for touching his brother in inappropriate ways. The jerk.

Arthur couldn't help but laugh at Alfred's reaction. He was sure Francis and Matthew had done it, Francis was a pervert but he wasn't stupid. Still Arthur didn't want to think nothing had happened to kick open the door (because he really didn't mind kicking down Francis' door), and finding that indeed something had happened. The Englishman grinned at Alfred's enthusiasm for his method of waking Francis up. "I'm glad you want to see." He said before hurrying over to the base of the stairs and encouraging Alfred to follow them. He cleared his throat a bit before clanking about with the spoon and pan. "You know Alfred, I'm rather hungry, but I know a wonderful recipe," He yelled watching the stairs, "I should get working on it!"

Bang! Arthur couldn't help but grin at the sound of the banging as Francis started moving about. He didn't hear the French curses like he usually did when they were camping out in the dessert. "Oi, and put pant's of you don't have any one, you Frog!" Arthur snapped still clacking the pans still. He would personally cook Francis' breakfast if the man was not covered. After all he had been with Matthew in a bed, Arthur want to make a threat in a way known.

The sound of someone barreling down the hall. Arthur quickly moved away from the base of the stairs and started moving towards the kitchen. "Non! Car l'amour de tout ce qui est arrêt de saints!" Francis yelled dramatically when he caught sight of Arthur, before narrowing his eyes when he noticed Arthur had no real intention of cooking. "You are a cruel man." His long blonde hair was a mess of from his sleeping, but Arthur could careless, he was just happy the man had some pants on.

Eager to play along with whatever trick Arthur was about to pull, Alfred rushed over to the staircase, leaning over as the Brit began speaking. At first, he was confused as to how this method was supposed to get the other two out of bed. But after thinking back to the meals he had with the Kirkland family, he suddenly understood. Perhaps it was a family trait that none of the men could cook. And if Arthur was anything like Scott… he shivered a bit at the thought. Maybe it was better if he kept Arthur away from the kitchen.

When the Frenchman came rushing down the stairs, looking disheveled and panicked, Alfred couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “That worked like a charm Artie!” Apparently Francis was just as concerned as he was when it came to Arthur’s cooking skills. Not a bad trick. He would have to remember it whenever it came time to wake the creeper up. He grinned as the Frenchman grumbled and snatched the pans back from Arthur, setting about to prepare breakfast (least Arthur suddenly decide to carry out his threat). Alfred leaned back against the railing as his brother came down the stairs, also with bedhead and wearing an irritated expression.

Matthew didn’t say a word, simply walked up to Alfred and gave him a good wack to the back of the head. “Hey! It wasn’t me!” The doctor simply glared. “You probably had something to do with it,” he said before heading into the kitchen after Francis. Clearly he was not a morning person. Ah well, it was his fault for letting Alfred stay in his house. In retaliation, Alfred stuck his tongue out before turning his attention back towards Arthur. He stepped forward and gave the Brit a grin (followed by a quick peck to the cheek). “I bet you were a prankster as a child,” Alfred teased. “I’m glad your on my side.”

"It always works." Arthur said at Alfred's comment, before the pan and spoon was ripped away from his hands. Francis grumbled but got to work on cooking breakfast. Arthur grinned to himself, Francis had been a quick learner, the one time he waved his hand at the comment, Francis was forced to eat something Arthur burned. Ever since they he woke up and took the task of cooking away from Arthur in the morning. Matthew eventually emerged looking tired and rather annoyed. "Sorry about that Matthew, it's the only way I know how to wake him up." Arthur said apologetically, and it was the only way to get him to wake up with speed. Francis gave him a quick peck, obviously in clear he was trying to do it without getting noticed by Alfred.

When the American came behind him, he startled Arthur a bit. Arthur chuckled a bit. He had been a bit of a prankster, he did have four older brothers, all who feared they could break him since he was a fragile child. Still it was a sense of survival. "In a way I suppose I was." Arthur said with a grin. "After all I was the youngest of four for eleven years."

Thankfully for Francis’s sake, Alfred did not notice the quick kiss he gave his brother. He was far too preoccupied with teasing Arthur about his devious mind. Besides, if he had noticed, he might have punched the guy for corrupting his sweet brother and that would have made a whole mess of things. “You’re lucky you had brothers to play tricks on! I only had old ladies after Mattie and dad left. They always threatened to send me to boarding school if I was too harsh.”

Ah childhood. People always commented that he was an adorable child, but once they got to know him, they soon saw a different side to his nature. He was playful to the point of being rough and was often punished for not being able to control his actions. So it was no surprise how eager he was to get out of Virginia the first chance he got.

Since the other two were busy preparing breakfast, Alfred slipped his hand within Arthur and pulled him towards the small sitting room. “I’m guessing Francis doesn’t want either of us in the kitchen,” he said with a laugh before sitting down. In a quick movement, he pulled Arthur into his lap and slid both arms around his thin waist. Since he had decided to sneak away before he awoke, the American felt it was only fair that Arthur have to deal with his morning affection this way. So he laid a light morning kiss against his lips before nuzzling happily into his shoulder. “Love you,” He said cheerfully.

Arthur chuckled as at Alfred's comment about old ladies. "I'd much rather of had old ladies to prank, I'm sure they didn't prank you back." Arthur was use to being the victim of his brothers' abuse. They were always quick to prank him back when they could, they never did anything to hurt him physically, out of fear of their mother's rage. Still their pranking could be mean, physical or not. Though they had always had a bit of fun chasing each other about after a prank. "Older brother's can be very mean." Arthur said with a grin, he knew because he had done rather mean things to Peter as well.

The Englishman felt Alfred's hand slip into his own before he pulled him out of the kitchen. Francis was giving them a bit of an annoyed look, Arthur was sure it was mostly towards him because he interrupted his "beauty sleep."

"I suppose that is--Ah!" Arthur started to make an statement that agreed with what Alfred said only to find himself slightly manhandled by Alfred. He did rather enjoy the thrill. He was about to express his small amount of displeasure when Alfred softly put his lips to his. Arthur blinked, but it was over to quick for him to truly react to it. He still sighed happily as Alfred cuddled into his shoulder. "Love you too." He figured he could let these signs of affection continue, Francis and Matthew clearly weren't going to judge.

Alfred smiled, content in the fact that Arthur was accepting his playful affection without too much displeasure. From the kitchen, Matthew and Francis worked to prepare a simple (but delicious smelling) meal that already was making the American’s mouth water. While they waited, Alfred continued to cuddle and kiss the Brit in his lap, happily holding him close in his lap. After a few minutes, Matthew entered looking much more awake (and tolerant) to wave them in to eat. “Great!” Al eagerly helped Arthur to his feet, took his hand, and lead him into the kitchen to where the small table was set up.

Tin dishes were set up in each spot, some sort of light egg wrap sat on top with a few sliced vegetables laying on the side. Inwardly, he grumbled at the sight of such a health conscious meal, but he didn’t have to cook so he choose not to complain. Instead he sat down (pulling Arthur to the seat beside him) and waited somewhat impatiently for his brother and creepy lover to sit down before he dug in. Alfred finished in his standard time of two seconds flat. The egg thing was delicious, but certainly not as filling as he would have liked. His poor table manners and lack of appreciation for the delicate food had both Mattie and Francis shooting him glares across the table, but he was completely oblivious to those.

His entire attention was fixed out the window beside him where black carriage road up the street beside the small safe house. There were no outside decorations, no indication of anything in particular, but for some reason he could not draw his attention away. There were a few men riding along side the carriage, looking neither suspicious nor particularly dangerous, but Alfred found himself steadily growing more concerned as the coach finally stopped in front of an inn just down the road. Leaning forward slightly, he watched as the door open and a women stepped out, looking very nervous and upset. His eyes widened in recognition. It was Katyusha - Ivan’s sister.

Arthur was a bit annoyed breakfast was finished so quickly, Alfred was loving him so much Arthur could help but be rather content. However Alfred was happy about eating and dragged Arthur along like he was going to refuse food. Arthur would usually give Francis a bit of hard time about his food and cooking like an annoying Frenchman. However Arthur would always ate, and Matthew seemed to help, so he would be kind for that reason at least. He grinned at the mean, before digging in politely.

"I'm rather surprised, Arthur," Francis said after he turned his attention back to Arthur and away from Alfred. "You have not graced me with your annoyance."

"No, I believe Alfred has that covered for me." Arthur said with a cheeky smile, before giving a stab at a carrot to express his annoyance towards the Frenchman for simply being French. He hated to admit it, but Francis was a good cook when he had everything he needed and not whatever Arthur and him had in their saddle bags. Arthur finished off his breakfast quickly as well, but clearly not as quickly as Alfred. He turned to find him looking at something out the window. "Alfred is something wrong?" He questioned leaning to the side to see if he could get a better view out of the window.

When Arthur slid forward to get a closer look, Alfred snapped his head around and pulled Arthur into a full kiss, sliding a hand around his head to keep him from pulling away immediately. Matthew coughed uncomfortably and stood up to fiddle around with the cooking pans and Francis let out a low whistle. Once he was sure that enough time had passed for the women to slip into the building across the street he pulled back. “Nothing important,” He said with a careless grin before hopping to his feet. “I think I’m going to go for a walk. Be back later!”

With that said, he all but raced to the door. Arthur wouldn’t let him go if it meant doing something potentially dangerous, but he had to do something. He could remember Katyusha from his childhood. She was always a bit of a coward and a crybaby, but compared to the other sister and Ivan, she was the most sane, even towards the end. If anyone would have some answers as to how to pull Ivan away from the man he had become, it would be her.

Alfred slid on his boots and ran out the door, waving a bit to his confused brother before taking off down the street. He didn’t immediately go for the inn he saw Katyusha disappear into - least Arthur figure out his poorly constructed lie and follow after him. Instead he looped around the town at a leisurely pace, staying clear to avoid that side of town. When he felt he had gained enough of a distance away from any possibly pursuing Englishman, he took a sharp turn down the next street and snuck behind the inn. Peeking in to the window, he caught sight of one of the guards that rode with Katyusha speaking with the innkeeper.

The women herself sat at the corner, looking just as beautiful and sweet as he always remembered. From the looks of it, they were simply traveling through this town and not looking for him or Arthur. A pure coincidence, but a lucky one if he could somehow gain an audience with the women. It was a long shot that she was anything like the girl she used to be, but if worse came to worse, there were only two guards to fight.

What. The. Bloody. Hell. Arthur blinked when Alfred pulled him into a full kiss. He squirmed a bit to get away and ask what in the world was Alfred's possibly think. Eventually the American let him go, leaving him too breathless to ask such a question if he had been able to say it before Alfred bolted out of his chair and towards the door. Even when Arthur had worked up enough sense to chase after him (it didn't seem like a long amount of time), Alfred was out the door. Arthur attempted to go after him, battling his with the shoes, as he wondered was caused such an event to happen. Francis came over and shook his head at the Englishman.

"You won't catch him anymore, besides maybe he needs a little space." Francis said with a shrug, and earning a sharp glare from Arthur. "Don't worry, he'll be fine. Besides you'll never catch him now."

Arthur sighed and pulled his shoes off again. He knew Francis was probably right, didn't mean he didn't want to follow Alfred, but he didn't want to be annoying when Alfred might need some space. He quickly went back towards the table before darting window Alfred had been looking out to see if he noticed anything. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary, just the usual looks of a travelers town. There as a carriage and some horses lined about, as well as people coming and leaving.

"Oi," Francis sounded behind him. ""I believe you should do the dishes sense Matthew and I made wonderful meal. It will give you something to do aside from looking like a said dog."

Arthur turned from the window and growled but got up. He quickly collected the plates and went to wash them, grumbling to himself about Americans and Frenchman.

Alfred waited patiently for the guards to lead Katyusha to what would be her room from the night. Care not to draw attention to himself, he watched through the glass pane as they disappeared up the stairs. Once the cost was clear, he walked around the building and entered the inn himself. The innkeeper had left to desk in order to look into sending up breakfast to the new guests, leaving him in the clear. As quickly and silently as he could, he rushed up the stairs and hid behind the shadows of the wall, just catching sight of the guards leaving what he presumed what was Katyusha’s room. He kept himself hidden as both the men moved into rooms of their own before stepping out.

This was dangerous, stupid, and could very possibly send him back into a prison of never ending darkness, but they would never get anywhere without taking some risks. Alfred silently assured himself that everything would be fine as he walked down the hall, stopping when he was in front of Katyusha’s door. Giving himself a moment to simply breath, he raised his fist and knocked it lightly against the wood. A few seconds passed before he heard a soft shuffling just before the door opened. Katyusha stared up at him with her wide eyes, first in confusion before switching to sudden realization. “Fred-”

“May I speak with you?” He didn’t wait for an answer. Placing a hand on the doorframe, he pushed his way inside and quickly shut the door, locking it least one of the guards decides to stop by. The women stepped back, the expression on her face was a combination of shock and fear. Hoping to keep her from screaming, Alfred held up his hands in a submissive position and eased his way forward. Thankfully, she didn’t start screaming, instead she sat down at the edge of her bed, staring up at him in total shock. “You shouldn’t be here. If Ivan knew that…”

“I know. But Katyusha, maybe we can help each other.” The women winced and shook her head frantically. “No. You need to leave. I promise I wont tell Vanya where you are, but you need to leave before somebody sees you.”

“You can’t like this life. You can’t be happy with the what he’s become.” Alfred sat beside the scared women and gently took her hands within his own. He flashed her an easy smile. “I want to help you and your brother. After all this time, I think I owe you both at least that much.”

Katyusha stared at him for a long time, tears building up behind her beautiful eyes. At first, she didn’t say anything, just sniffled in an attempt to suppress her tears. “Oh Alfred.” Than, without warning, she launched herself at him, pulling him into a hard hug. Now Katyusha had hugged him many times when he was younger, but that was before she had developed her rather… impressive assets. Now his face was being pressed up against her breast and he couldn’t quite control the intense blush from coloring his pale cheeks. Oh god. Oh god. What was the right thing to do in this situation? He didn’t want to be seen as a pervert, but he couldn’t help but look! She was the one holding him!

Thankfully she pulled back before he suffocated, now wearing a happy smile on her face. “You have always been so sweet… I hope you can bring Vanya back to his senses. He really does deserve to be happy too…” Alfred smiled and squeezed her hand. At least he had Katyusha on his side. With her guidance, maybe he really could make a difference.

Arthur finished the dishes as quick as he could and efficiently as he could. He felt like he owned Matthew some very clean plates to make up for waking him up rudely and Alfred's odd actions earlier. Arthur couldn't get them to shine like no one had touched them, but he made the tin plates look relatively new. He had fueled his annoyance towards Alfred and Francis into his scrubbing, and was able to hand Matthew something he was rather proud of. However he was rather surprised Alfred wasn't back yet. The town wasn't huge and Arthur had been busy cleaning dishes for a while figured eventually Alfred would get tired of his walking and come back. The American always seemed to surprise him.

"Alfred's still not back?" Arthur asked when he returned with the dishes. Matthew shook his head and Francis looked at him like he was over reacting to something that was clearly nothing. Arthur trust Francis on the fact that the town was safe, but Alfred and him still have to be careful. "Maybe I should have attempted to catch up with him." Arthur looked at his feet, he really wished he hadn't let Francis talk him into staying.

Francis gave a small snort, "I'm sure something happened the town would be a little bit more wild." Francis said getting up from his seat at the table.

Arthur sighed and didn't say anything else and went to the window and looked out again. He probably looked over paranoid and worried, but in a way he was both of those. Arthur noticed some men moving about the carriage, getting some luggage from it. For a second Arthur almost dismissed them but then he recognized away from the window a bit. They didn't look like they were looking for them, but the fact that they were int he same town made Arthur want to go find Alfred.

"I'm going to see if I can go find Alfred," Arthur said heading towards the door. He pulled on his boots and adjusted his hat to hid his face in shade. and then he was off looking.

Alfred lost track of time as they spoke. Once Katyusha was assured that Alfred was acting for her brother’s best interest, she opened up and filled him in on what had become of the family during their years apart. After they left Virginia for the untamed west, the Braginski family fell out of favor. Both their mother and father died from sickness, leaving the three young children without much of a means to support themselves. Ivan, in an attempt to keep himself and his two sisters alive had turned to a life of thievery. From Katyusha’s explanation, it seemed that his rise to crime had happened faster than anyone could imagine. But Ivan enjoyed the power, she explained. After all the wrongs people had done to him and his family, how could he not want to wrong others back.

After her story, Alfred attempted to coax her into telling him what Ivan’s plans were. This she could not answer, for she did not know herself. Ivan had her traveling around, being watched to keep her protected while he and their younger sister were stationed elsewhere. She did admit that Alfred’s escape and the discovery that Arthur was still alive had done little to help with the Russian mans temper. She also warned him that while Alfred may have a chance of talking to Ivan, Arthur did not. He took this information to heart and silently swore to keep the Englishman as far away from the crime lord as possible.

After a while, Alfred became aware of how much time had passed. Arthur no doubt was worrying and he needed to get back to assure his love that he wasn’t dead. He stood up and gave the women another squeeze on the shoulder. “I will do my best Katyusha to help your brother. For now, just keep yourself safe.” The women smiled and pulled him down for another hard hug (causing him to turn an interesting shade of red). “Thank you Fredka. Please stay safe as well.” When she released him, he gave her a final wave and slipped out the door. Quietly as possible, he traveled down the stairs and out of the inn, glad to have not been caught by the guards. He sighed loudly and shoved his hands in his pockets. Time to face Arthur. He just hoped he didn’t question his long absence too much.

Arthur circled the town twice, he would admit he was walking fast and not really looking like he felt he should out of fear of being caught. He grumbled to himself as he started back towards the safe house as he attempted to look as casual as he could. It was a travel town and Arthur was sure no one really cared much about anyone else. Still bounty hunters knew how people acted when they had a bounty on their head, as well as how a wanted man (whither by law or crime lord) walks. Arthur happens to be both and he his not willing to find out if Ivan wants him dead or alive. He kicked some dirt as he slowed his pace and attempted to walk mindlessly back to the safe house. He slipped his hands in his pockets and continued on.

Eventually Arthur's walking did in fact turn a bit mindless and he found himself drifting to small store with some books. He admired the fell of one for a while, reading a few pages and find the writing not what he was wishing to read. In a way he missed England for its books. He liked being able to get new and interesting books. In the West he wasn't given such a luxury, even when he searched for something interesting he might actually consider reading. Arthur placed the book down, shaking his head and starting back towards the safe house again. He hoped Alfred was home this time, hopefully with a bit of an explanation for the amount of time he was gone.