I do not own Hetalia okay? I don't have much to say on this one and it may be one of my slower updates. Anyway, enough of this A/N, on with the fic.

Alfred parked the truck beside the barn and sighed. No matter what he did, he could not shake what the banker said. It was true. And it wasn't because he wasn't paying the mortgage, it was just that he did not have the full payment and tried to pay what he could, but it was never enough. He still had to pay his bills, keep the cows fed and barn and property up kept. His father had a few farmhands but when he passed, and the prices of dairy dropped, he had to let the farmhands go. And then he had to keep up with the demand that grew despite the low prices. Even if he sold more, it took more to produce. It was a balance that could not be kept up for long. As the sun beat down, he sighed. "Time to go back to the barn…." He sighed knowing the cows would likely need milking again and an evening shipment run. That night he sighed as he had delivered the milk and headed to the kitchen to make himself a small dinner before he went to sleep for the night.

"So, Lovino, Feliciano," A deep Italian voice said staring out onto Lake Michigan from a beautiful lake house. "Did you find a place for our trucks to rest for the night?"

"Si il nonnino" Lovino said with a smile. "It is a farm out of the way, about mid distance from here and our Canadian suppliers."

"But the farmer didn't agree to it." Feliciano said as Lovino hit him.

"He didn't agree?" Julius said as he turned to face his grandsons.

"What my little brother meant to say was that he hasn't agreed yet to do so. He seemed quite interested in the money. I have him a bit for talking with us to show him that we can pay him well. This farmer is apparently having issues with the bank." Lovino added greedily. He wanted to have his grandfather's respect. He craved it. He was the one in the trenches in the Great War while his brother got an exemption to take care of their grandparents, even though Julius could handle himself fine, it was his wife Valentina that was ill, this causing Feliciano to get the exemption from service. She then passed when the war ended and Julius took his grandsons to America where they had gotten in on the ground floor on bootlegging to support their restaurant. It was now just a front as business had boomed, propelling both Lovino and Feliciano into prominent roles in the business, if from the mere fact they were Julius's grandsons and he was very loyal to his family.

"So, he's in trouble with the bank?" Julius sighed. He tapped his finger on his beard, growing slowly grey over his mahogany brown hair.

"Yes." Feliciano said with a sad note. "He might lose his family's farm. It's in foreclosure. The poor guy."

"He also has that American pride where they will fight for what they have and work hard until they die." Lovino scoffed. "Frankly if my farm wasn't paying off I would just pack up and find something better. I mean that's what we did."

"Not now Lovi," Julius said as he turned back to his grandsons. "Where is it exactly again?" He looked at a map of their route from Chicago to Canada.

"Here." Lovino pointed.

"It is out of the way, indeed." Julius said. "Would make the route longer but at the same time we don't want to arose too much suspicion. We still need a few trucks to be the sacrificial lambs. The ones that if we lose, it won't affect us." Julius was ruthless when it came to this business. He may not be conquering lands, but conquering his competition to the point they had to sign over all they had to him or work under him in a very degrading role was just another day to him. It made him great and powerful, like the heir to the Roman legacy that run in his veins.

"I can have Feliciano on those runs." Lovino said.

"We'll worry about that when it comes to it." Julius said. "Don't want to put Feli in danger unless we need him to be." He said waving off Lovino's suggestion.

"I did say we would be back in 7 days for his decision." Lovino said.

"Well I think that it would be best if he heard from the boss himself on the deal." Julius said. "I guess I will join you. I have quite the way of convincing one to come to our will."

The week passed as it did normally for Alfred, with his daily milking, delivery and care of the cows. It was spring so the calves where being born to start the new lactation cycle. He was also going to have to cull the older members of the herd. It was a hard part of the job but he was the one who had to take care of it. However, it was the duty he had for this time of year. During his care of the heard, he had grown attached to some of the cows and it was always sort of painful but he knew that there was going be new calves that needed raising. There were times he had thought of just selling the farm or leaving it and moving somewhere else to start his life anew. But the affection he had for the animals and taking care of them kept him there.

"Another day, another dairy delivery. Another dollar." Alfred said as he put the last tank of milk onto his truck. He headed to the truck to start it when Julius came over and took the key out of the ignition.

"Hello." Julius smiled as Alfred looked at him annoyed. "Another dollar that you work your hands to the bone for the bank to keep you a slave to them."

"Just who the hell are you?" Alfred sighed.

"Julius Vargas. You met my grandsons Lovino and Feliciano last week. I hear they had a very interesting proposal. We just park our trucks in your barn and let our men sleep there during the day for a little bit before they head down to Chicago. We pay you well to just look the other way. You don't know a thing. Complete and utter deniability. You don't know what is in there and can go on your pleasant way getting milk to town." The dark haired man said with a smile. While Alfred could stare down Lovino and Feliciano when they had come the first time, this time, he just could not. Something about the man, dressed impeccably in a bespoke suit that fit him perfectly and custom leather loafers told him that he was not one to take lightly. He looked older but had a feeling that if he wanted to he could clean Alfred's clock with one hit.

"Well I would appreciate it if you let me finish my delivery." Alfred said, some of his nerve coming back. "This stuff doesn't stay very good very long." Julius sighed and pulled out a few twenty dollar bills and placed them in Alfred's lap. He looked down and counted them. "a hundred dollars…." He whispered.

"Si." Julius smiled. "For your whole delivery. I need some time to talk to you." He waved over Lovino and Feliciano. "Boys, why don't you take over Alfred's route. I see he so kindly wrote down the addresses he needed to go. Say you are his farmhands."

"You'll be taking a loss." Alfred sighed as Lovino pulled him out of the driver's seat and drove off with his brother. "They're only due to pay maybe a third of this."

"I know, I am a businessman and can take losses if they mean a better opportunity." Julius said as he led Alfred into his own house and to his own living room. Alfred looked around at the man, much better dressed than he was, still in a dirty shirt and denim overalls and into his own sloppily cleaned house. Alfred wouldn't say he lived like a pig but he was the only person on the farm. He had no wife so he didn't have anyone to tend to the house so it was rather disheveled and dusty. "Now how would it be to get that kind of money daily?" He said as he looked at Alfred, looking at the money. "You could totally pay off the mortgage on this place. Hire a farm hand or two, maybe a maid to keep this place clean." He saw the metals from the Great War that Alfred had placed on the mantle of the fireplace. "I see you served your country well. A veteran like yourself shouldn't be groveling at the hands of bankers to keep his living. That's just awful. Shame. Pity. Why heck, I could clean you up and you would have all the ladies flocking over you back in Chicago. You are quite the handsome man under all that dirt. And if you just let our trucks and men spend some time in your barns, all of that, can be yours."

Alfred looked around and thought about what Julius had said as the older man smiled at him. How much of his life had he put on hold to run this place since he had been forced to dismiss the farmhands he had when he inherited the place? He had a girl he was starting to break the ice with back in Milwaukee that he kind of liked. But not being able to leave the cows behind more than on deliveries and supply runs would severely limit his ability to court her. A cute typist at a law firm who had thought he was funny and loved his smile. Thought there could be something there. But he moved to handle this when he could have sold it right at the time he had inherited the farm. And it was true, Julius's money for something so simple would let him get a life outside the farm. It would free him from the debt that he had put himself into to try and keep it viable. "Your men had better leave the cows alone." Alfred said as he took a deep breath.

"Of course. And I want you to tell me if they do not treat your property with the utmost respect. If they break something, let me know." Julius said. "Send me the bill and they will be dealt with. Severely."

"I don't have a phone…." Alfred said.

"I'll have one put in and pay the bill for you." Julius added. "You will be paid handsomely. Say 750 dollars a month. Cash. I'll even have some of my other ventures buy some of your milk at a very good price and you will make even more money. You need not worry. Grandpa Julius will take good care of you so you will not want for a thing."

Alfred paused and looked at the money, to the man and around his house. It has to be something awful that will get me into trouble. But not like I am doing much better on my own…. He paused "And if I want to move? If I tire of cows? If I meet a darling lady and they want to move somewhere better?"

"I'll buy your operation off you. No risk of yours will be put on this at all. This is your golden ticket Alfred. The path to the American dream, and all it will take is your barn." Julius said. "Don't be an idiot. You're a smart young man."

Alfred closed his eyes and gulped. "Deal." He said as he closed his eyes and shook Julius's hand.

"Grazie" He said as he handed Alfred 20 more dollars. "Monday, first trucks will come in around sunrise. Just keep the door open for them and they'll shut it.

"Sure." Alfred said. Once he heard Julius head back to his car and drive off once his grandsons returned his truck, Alfred sat on his couch and sighed. What have I gotten myself into?

So how was that? Good? Bad? Short? Long? Let me know in a review. I do not have any pairings intended for this fic, unlike many of my other ones. I don't know how fast I can update, life is crazy right now and I needed to at least start this. Anyway, remember to read (well you just did) and to review. Ciao for now,

Otherrealmwriter

Aka

Realm