The Hero and the Survivor

Once Again

"You never learn do you?" England heard a French accented voice asked. England swirled around and saw a certain frog standing against a wall in his living room!
"And what the bloody hell are you doing here Frog!?" He hissed at the Frenchmen who at the moment was smoking a cigarette. The Brit blinked; France didn't usually smoke when he came to flirt or for anything. The Frenchmen usually didn't smoke indoors even in his own house.
"Why are you bothering them?" France said after blowing out another puff of smoke. The Brit looked at France confused and then it came to him exactly what France was referring to.
"We're you spying on me!?" England yelled angrily narrowing his eyes,"you had no right!" France rolled his eyes and blew out some more smoke.
"Are you even listening!?"
"Non."
"Why the bloody hell are you even here!?"
"Becauze zomeone needz to tell the black sheep  of Europe how ztupid he'z acting!"
England pounced France after that causing both men to brawl on the floor. After a minute or two, they both smelt something burning. The two turned their heads to find France's forgotten cigarette had caught a small part of the carpet on fire. France just stood up and watched as England hopped off him and stomped out the small fire.
"I'm not stupid frog," England hissed while looking down at the burnt spot on the floor.
"Did I zay you were ztupid," France said simply,"even zough it iz true, zat is not what I said." England blinked and then glared at him.
"And what exactly are you getting at frog?" The Brit asked with a hiss. The Frenchmen pulled out another cigarette and his lighter. After blowing out a puff of smoke, he gave the Brit a smile.
"Zis izn't the firzt time you've gotten jealouz non?" France stated more than asked to get his point across. England glared, but felt a knot tighten in his stomach. The Brit knew exactly what the Frenchmen was bringing up; it was something both of them hated to discuss.
"This isn't going to end the same," England muttered under his breath,"he's mine already." France just lightly chucked and began to leave. He seemed to change his mind though as he stopped to look back at the Brit.
"I wouldn't be to zure," France said taking his cigarette out of his mouth,"love workz in very odd wayz. Zometimez I don't even zink I completely underztand it, but if zere iz one zing I do know it'z zat you can't force it on zomeone. And in zat area iz where you mess up mozt." The Frenchmen left almost soundlessly after that; leaving a speechless England to his own thoughts.

****
He slid his hands though her thick black curls as she slept against his chest. The American had let her cry for a very long time and in the end she fell asleep in his arms. America smiled at how relaxed she looked before leaning his head against the wall; sleep was calling like an old friend.
England or Israel? The American groaned as the thought flashed across his mind again causing the ability to fall asleep to vanish. America let out a sigh; he really wasn't going to get any sleep until he figured this out. He looked down at the sleeping nation again and smiled. The american had done this before with her a very long time ago.

Flashback 1919: Paris
She stood there unable to move; her head spinning and heart aching. The personification had been lied to, betrayed, deceived; all those words and more. England had promise her she would be country after the war, but she wasn't even mentioned on the map. Little Zion still remained a dream of her people.
America could see her across the room; how hard she was trying to hold herself together. He had grown very close to the young personification since she had started to live with him for the majority of the time because of Jewish immigration to his lands. Other times, she was at Ottoman Empire's house since a few of her people were moving back to their ancient home.
"I'll have her go back to you house in a few weeks," England interrupted his train of thought and America just nodded. He was just so tired from arguing about the treaty of Versailles; he had barely been listened to.
"Once I've gotten everything settled with her and Palestine, I'm sure she'll need to go back to your house. I mean so many of her people moved to you before the war; I'm sure that will start up again." The Brit continued before he walked of to his new group of lands he now controlled.
America watched them all leave. Zion turned at the last moment and gave him a sad smile. He waved goodbye to her, not really knowing what else he could do.

A few months later

She appeared on his doorstep. Before he could he completely close the door after she came in, Zion hugged his right leg tightly. Lithuania smiled at the two from around a corner, while Romano rolled his eyes; he secretly thought it was cute though.
"Why?" Zion asked as she clung to him."Why do they all hate me? Why did England lie? Why?! Why!" She had began to fall apart at this point; not really caring anymore who saw her. America picked her up and held her as she cried. He took her to the couch in his living room and just kept holding her close. At this point the American began to look at her, she looked rather ragged from her time in the Middle East. Her cloths were dirty and he could tell she had been working really hard.
America just held her close and whispered comforting words. Evenly, she fell asleep in his arms and later into the night he fell asleep with her still in his arms.

End Flashback

With those memories in mind, sleep finally took control. America fell asleep with Israel in his arms just like when she was small. When Poland came home, he would still find the two of them like that; asleep against a hallway wall. And Poland couldn't help, but smile.