I do not own Hetalia okay? I know it has been a while since I updated this one and well to face it, there's some stories I have more inspiration for than others. But anyway, enough of this A/N, on with the fic!

"Okay girls…." Alfred sighed as he made sure the cows were safely in their pens. It was past the spring thaw when predators would be at their hungriest, but Alfred was still worried. He hadn't told Julius he would keep the door simply unlocked but that he would open. This was going to be the first time that his men would come in and sleep in the barn. He had cleared a path to the loft. God running a motel for bootleggers in my barn loft. Hope they aren't expecting too much. I'm already worn out from running this whole place. "Well, there may be some new guys come in. Just don't bother them and if they bother you let me know with a loud moo." Alfred smiled. The cows were pretty much all he had. His father was dead, his brother was missing in action, likely killed in action, if he remembered how the war was when he had been sent to Europe. "And we won't come back until it's over over there…..." He sang to himself as the cows chewed their feed and let out a random 'moo'.

Julius' words haunted him as he looked around his house and spooned himself a bowl of chicken and dumplings, he had made a few days before. It wasn't starting to smell yet so he assumed it would be okay to eat. Not even bothering to reheat the pot, he put a spoonful of the soupy meal into his mouth and sighed. No one. He had no one. He wasn't totally alone, he did have friends in town and most the shopkeepers were nice to him and were always up for a pleasant conversation, it wasn't the same. "God, I wish I knew what happened to Mattie. That would be nice to have someone to help me here. Or maybe a sweetheart…. but god knows that I can't leave the girls." He sighed as he headed up the steps to his bedroom to go to sleep. Setting his alarm, he knew that he was going to wake a little bit before sunrise for his usual milking duties, but he was going to make sure the trucks came in fine and did not mess with anything he had. It wasn't much, but it was honest, and it was his. Alfred still was conflicted about even allowing the bootleggers room, but he knew that he was as guilty as everyone else about violating the Prohibition by buying moonshine off his neighbors, but this seemed to feel worse. But it was more important that he keep up with the bills on the farm and this was the only way he could see it happening. He was not going to allow the farm to be foreclosed on.

"That's the place, isn't it?" A gruff man said as he looked at a map with a crudely drawn route by the light of a cigarette lighter's flame. "I mean why did Lovi have to give us the map? Feli is good at drawing this stuff?"

"That's just what the boss sent down. Be lucky we got a map. This place is out in the middle of freaking nowhere." The driver said as he looked down at his watch and then over to the east. "Sun should be coming up soon and I am glad. I am so tired of driving this thing that far."

"We got the hooch and Grandpa Rome assured us no one would be following us." The driver said using their code word for Julius when talking about their boss.

"Well, I don't see no one nowhere." The other bootlegger said as he lit his cigar and saw the sun start to rise to the east. "That be the place?"

"That's it, just like Lovi described." The driver said as he turned on the path to the farm. Alfred had his morning cup of coffee he was sipping while holding his Colt Pocket Hammerless pistol that his father had given him when he had shipped off, out of sight. He knew the stories people told about bootleggers and Italian gangs. He was not going to let them run one over him, but he didn't want to seem like too much of a threat at first meeting. His shotgun was close, but not too obvious he could take it against them, just wanted to seem like a regular farmer protecting his livestock. "And there is our guy. Feli's picture of him really does look a lot like him…."

Alfred sipped his coffee then headed to the trucks. "So, you're the new renters of my barn?"

"Yep. You Alfred?" The driver asked.

"One could assume that." Alfred replied. "Now there's a lot of hay in the loft and there's stairs in the back that lead to it. I am sure your boss filled you in on the rules, but I will say them again. You put your trucks in the barn and sleep. Then go when you are supposed to. Do not disturb my cows. Do not leave a mess in my barn. Do not cause a disturbance to anyone who may come by. You are to act like you are not here while you rest up. I am not a maid or call girl or whatever you want. You have what you have up there and that's that. Don't like it? Well suck it up. Your boss said he'd pay for any damages, but I don't think he would like to and if you do make him pay, well I am sure he'll take his money back how he wants."

"Yeah, you're right about the boss there." The driver said. "I won't mess with yous cows."

"You better not." Alfred said as he headed into the barn and began his daily chores and milking the cows and heading to his daily stops and delivered to his clients. As he headed through town, he couldn't help but look at the bank and scowl. It was then he remembered the men sleeping in his barn, the ones that were paying to sleep in his hay loft and then move on to Chicago. They were paying big to have that right and that money that Lovino gave when they first met up to talk about this arrangement was more than enough to catch him up from the months he had not paid. They're keeping you from having to sell the farm. Alfred thought and with this he smirked as he stopped by his favorite restaurant and had himself a burger and a coke as he always did after big deliveries. This pattern of the trucks coming in, resting in the barn while he made his daily runs and deliveries for the milk carried on pretty uneventful for a few weeks. Nothing major happened, although a few of the drivers thought they could challenge Alfred to a fight, occasions he often showed them the one-two punch he had perfected in the trenches of the Great War, leaving him looking stronger and the drivers taken down a peg.

On a fateful day where Alfred had come back from town after giving the banker more than he needed to pay, reducing the debts on the farm, much to the banker's dismay, he pulled into the farm to see Julius standing there with a large smile on his face. "Ciao Alfredo!" He waved. "How is my favorite business partner?"

"You sure we should discuss that out in the open?" Alfred said quickly and quietly.

"Si." Julius said. "I was just coming over to take you to Chicago for the week."

"A week!" Alfred said as he dropped his wallet and keys in shock. "No way can I leave for that long a time! I mean I had influenza for two weeks longer than I had to because I had to take care of the girls and I'm lucky I didn't wreck my truck as much cough syrup I was on. People just thought I was drunk."

"Relax, I know what is needed to run a dairy farm. We had many back in ol Italia. Our cheese is very good. I will have some for you at my mansion. Only the best." Julius said. "I want you to meet all my family and thank you for helping us out so much."

"You don't need to take me to the city for a week for that." Alfred said. "I don't want to seem like I'm rude or declining your invitation or all, but I am worried about the farm and all. The money is more than enough"

"Of course. I understand. I brought over a few farm hands I know who are skilled at the art of raising cows." Julius said as he waved for three men to come out of the car and headed to the barn. "All old friends of mine from Italy who know their way around a dairy farm. Now come along." He said as he put Alfred into the car. "I do need to clean you up. My family and granddaughters cannot see you dressed all dirty as a farmer."

"But I don't have any suits or anything nice…..." Alfred pleaded.

"I have a few that would fit you lying around for tonight but tomorrow I will make sure you get a nice bespoke suit that will fit you perfectly." Julius went on as Alfred sighed and gave in. The men he had sent out did go to the barn and seemed like they knew what they were doing, but everything had happened so fast, he didn't quite know what to make of it. Better to go along with it and just keep Julius happy and not risk the deal than to upset him. Besides, he wanted to introduce him to his granddaughters, and it had been a while since he had been able to speak to a girl and get to know her more than a passing conversation. He had been talking with the clerk at the ice cream parlor for the longest time, but it could never seem to get her interested more than a farmer who supplied her father's store.

On the nearly 3-hour drive to Julius' place, Alfred had dozed off, only to find himself at a large lake side mansion. Damn, I should get into this bootlegging business more…... Alfred thought as he rubbed his eyes and looked around.

"It's huge…." He said looking at the mansion.

"Oh, it's nothing special." Julius said.

"No offense but you and I have different definitions of 'something special'" Alfred said, feeling more inadequate as he headed in up the marble steps, staring at the columns that were sculpted from marble to look like renaissance art and the amazement did not stop there. The railings and trim were all solid wood, with elegant wallpaper all over. He felt like he had walked into a castle. At this, Julius smiled and clapped for a butler.

"Yes?" a man in a dark black suit with tailcoats came up.

"Take my friend here up to the guest bath, we have one of our best suits pulled out for him. You know the one I am meaning. Let him get dressed before we have dinner tonight." Julius ordered as the footman grabbed Alfred's hand.

"Just what the-?" Alfred asked confused as he was led up the stairs to a bathroom, looking back at Julius smiling as two young women ran up beside him. One with reddish brown bobbed hair and the other with dark brown hair left long and in a slight scowl.

"So that's the Alfred you talked about." Felicia said bouncing her hair almost flirtatiously, even though it was obvious that Alfred couldn't see her.

"Seems rather dirty." Lovina moaned scowling at his clothes.

"That's because he's been working all day." Julius said. "But I want to get him in further with us. From what I have seen him do to some of the men who messed with him, I want him to help us out more than just letting us put our trucks in his barn." He then looked to his granddaughters. "And you two can work your charms on him. If he has a good girl on his arm here, then he might be more willing to stay here. He did moan about how he could never get a date because he was tied to that silly farm of his."

So how was that? Good? Bad? Short? Long? Let me know in a review. As for the inspiration for Grandpa Rome's mansion there, I looked up various houses from the era in Chicago and found the Dewes House to be good. I mean when you have two sculptures as your entrance way like that one, I could see him doing it and it's not too far from Lake Michigan so he could get a good view for a city. Anyway, remember to read, well you just did, and to review. Ciao for now,

Otherrealmwriter

Aka

Realm.