I don't own Hetalia okay? I now have a better conflict to build up in this so I might be better on updating. I don't have much else to say but enough of this A/N, on with the fic!

Arthur sighed as he sat on the windowsill late that night. His brothers had all gone to bed, and he had tried to sleep himself, but the things said and that he agreed to kept him up at night. He kept tossing and turning while Patrick had told him to get to sleep or he was going to throw him on the floor. "I thought we left that all behind." Arthur sighed as he took a deep drag of his cigarette "At least these things are still legal." But it was true, they had not come to America on the best of circumstances. The Kirkland brothers were feared hoodlums in the slums of London, and it often got them on the wrong side of the law. He and Alba were in fact put in front of a judge right in the middle of the Great war who gave them two options: jail or military. And it was Alba that spoke up for both Arthur and him and said military. At least we were in the same unit…. I guess…. maybe prison would have been worth it. He thought as he finished the cigarette and flicked the rest out of the window.

"Ya still up little bro?" Alba asked as he looked over at Arthur.

"How is it, that when we get to America, I am the one to adapt to this foolish law and get a respectable job and the rest of you end up as meat packers or railway workers?" Arthur sassed.

"Because you're the brightest of the bunch." Alba admit.

"But you called me 'the Wulver' in the war." Arthur said. "Likening me to a fucking werewolf."

"Nah, you got it wrong, just a teensy bit Artie." Alba said. "The Wulver has the head of a wolf, body of a man and while vicious, would be nice and help the poor by giving them fish if left to his own devices." Arthur looked over at his older brother annoyed. They had hardly gotten along, even when they ran the slums of London together.

"But we came here to get a fresh start. To put those days behind us." Arthur sighed.

"Well, if this is putting those days behind us, I'd rather go back to jail or the trenches." Alba said as he took Arthur's pack of cigarettes. "I've been towards the South Side. I've seen where Julius runs his businesses. And you saying you couldn't do better? You did pretty well before that blasted Volstead act."

"We did pretty well." Arthur corrected with a slight smirk. "I could not have run that without my brothers."

"I'm now scared of what we're going to do." Alba sighed as he lit a cigarette of his own. "You're never this nice to me Artie."

"Piss off." Arthur sighed as he yawned. "I might be able to sleep now. See you in the morning."

"Who knows how this will go." Alba assured him. "Have you seen Julius's place on the South Side?" Arthur shook his head. "Well, it's freaking huge. That man has like what four grandchildren, and they live there with him? Trust me. We got this better than some old guy who thinks he's bloody Caesar."

"Just how do you know this much about him already? I just know what the officials who come to the law office say and they speak the world of him." Arthur yawned.

"People talk little brother. A lot, especially when you're one of the gutter rats. And lately that Julius has been strutting about little Italy opening soup kitchens for the poor and the like. I've been in one of them." Alba rolled his eyes looking at Arthur's scolding. "On business. He bought some meat from the packing company and Toris, and I were the ones who took it there. We ain't charity cases yet."

"I suppose not. And I intend that we will not be. This is supposed to be the "Land for the Free" after all. And freedom isn't free….." Arthur said knowing as the operation grew that he would have to pay off some officials. Luckily, he knew how low cops and Prohibition officers were paid so as time went and their enterprise grew, he could buy more freedom for him and his brothers. "And I want my own bed. Do you know how much Patrick snores?"

"About as much as Seamus farts?" Alba sighed.

"I see why Dylan just sleeps on the couch." Arthur admit.

The next morning, Alfred awoke to find his shirt and overalls clean and waiting for him at the foot of the bed. He didn't notice the time, nor that anyone had put them there in the night God I must have really been asleep, was it all the wine last night or the food or the fact that bed was comfortable as hell? He thought as he got up and put the clothes on and looked around for anyone to escort him around. Julius's mansion was huge. He felt like it was bigger than his barn in some areas and he could get lost easily. As he headed out of the guest bedroom, Giovanni coughed behind him. "Ahhem…."

"Ah!" Alfred said. "Oh Giovanni, you surprised me there.

"I have been told I do that." Giovanni sighed. "Come along. Breakfast is ready for you." He said as he took Alfred's arm and led him back into the dining room from the night before. He had found that Lovina and Felicia were there while Julius was sitting back and sipping a cup of coffee and eating a cornetto pastry while reading the newspaper.

"Ah, Alfredo! My good friend, have a seat. I had the cook make you a good hearty breakfast like I know many of you Americano farmers do." Julius said as he took Alfred from Giovanni and sat him down in front of a large plate of bacon and friend eggs. "Eat hearty."

"Ummm….. you going to have something?" Alfred asked, feeling like he was the odd man out." He noticed that Felicia and Lovina both didn't have much but some fruit and coffee themselves and it seemed that Lovina was already finished as she had lit a cigarette and was looking around annoyed as Felicia dribbled a little coffee on herself as she tried to batt her eyes at Alfred.

"Oh, I prefer a light breakfast. If I have something too big, there would be no room for dinners much like the one we had last night!" Julius laughed. "But as my guest here, I figured you would like something you are more used to."

"Thanks….." Alfred began to eat as he blushed, noticing how Felicia was looking at him. He felt like he was the center of attention and out of place. Sure, his overalls had been cleaned but there was Julius, Giovanni, Felicia, and Lovina all there in the latest high-end fashions, higher end than the ones he had seen in the Sears catalog and here he was dressed like the farmer that Lovina so had a disdain for.

"I know how you are feeling." Julius said as if he could read Alfred's mind. "And I will be taking you to my tailor. He will get you fitted up for a proper suit and I have a box at the local opera house that I or la mia famiglia can use whenever we want. Take Felicia and Lovina there. They need to get out of the house and have a little culture."

"If they do their duties at the soup kitchen." Lovino sighed as he took a cornetto, took a big bite of it, and poured himself a cup of coffee. "You know what Gramps said."

"Yes, we have a duty to the people of this city who keep us up so well." Lovina sighed.

"It's not that bad." Felicia said. "We get to help make the soups."

Julius looked at Alfred's confusion and explained. "My businesses have been very successful. And I remember how miserable I was back in Italia; how hard it was being poor and how hard we had to work once we made the oh so dangerous voyage from the land of my birth and ancestors to this large and great nation. We started with nothing and now look" He motioned to the mansion. "And as someone who was so blessed and so lucky, it is our duty to help those who were not as fortunate."

"Sounds good….." Alfred said, still overwhelmed and head spinning from just what had happened in the past few days. "I have to go use the bathroom, mind if I do so?"

"Go ahead." Julius said. "You know where it is at?"

"I remember." Alfred assured him. "I don't need any help."

"Come back soon." Julius waved.

Once Alfred was out of earshot, Lovino sighed. "Gramps, that whole charitable speech is full of shit, and you know it. It's just to get people on our side in case the cops come down on us. You get arrested and all this is gone. All our effort is for nothing."

"Image is important Lovino." Julius said sternly. "Something that you need to note. I suppose Feliciano does too, but he has his uses. Don't disrupt the order. Order is important. We must defend from all sides. We will have rivals we must slay. And if we have the plebian class on our side, this will make that so much easier. They won't talk to the officials and won't let the others who many try to take us out will not be able to get a foothold." He then looked grimly over to Lovina and Felicia. "And girls, do do your part well. I don't care if you think serving the poor beneath you, it is how you earn your keep to be in the Vargas clan. Unless you'd like to tend to some of the other operations we have, like to have Helena's job, and help do what she does…."

"NO!" Lovina said. Helena was one of the most well-known prostitutes that was part of one of the Vargas's clan's brothels throughout the south side of the city. Lovina had helped to babysit her son Hercules when Julius had met with her to "discuss business…." As he said he was doing but Lovina knew that that was just a front. With their grandmother dead, a lot was 'discussed' with her. Luckily, Hercules liked the stray cats and would put out milk for them and give them yarn to play with, so it was rather easy for her to watch the young child.

"Good." Julius said darkly. "Now play your parts." At this, Alfred had come back, and Julius became friendly again. "Now come with me Alfred. If you are going to take the girls to the Opera, then you must look better than some farmer out to do his work. Not that farmers are not very very important. For how would we get out food otherwise?"

"Grandpa, what do you want me to do?" Feliciano said as he ran into the kitchen. "Guess I overslept…."

"Come with me and Alfredo here, we're getting him dressed like a proper young man should. Your brother is taking the girls to the soup kitchen to help the poor."

"Okay. I guess I can come with you." Feliciano said.

"Sure…." Alfred shrugged. "You're the host. And I guess I work with you so yeah don't want to make the boss mad."

I am the boss alright. Boss of this city…. Julius thought. "Oh, don't see me as your boss. Anything dealing with your farm, you are the boss of Alfred. Don't forget that. I am paying you for not only your barn's use, but the milk from your cows. I know plenty of people who want it here in Chicago, as most that comes from close by isn't good and they want the best for their cheeses."

"Now it's not that good….." Alfred blushed.

"Nonsense! Julius laughed. "I had a glass once and it was very fresh rich and refreshing. I am thinking of looking into some refrigerated trucks for the milk. Come on, I wouldn't bother with this at all if I did not think you were an excellent person to do business with."

"Thanks….." Alfred blushed as Julius led him to the fabulous Cadillac that Feliciano and Lovino had first driven up to his farm in back those months ago when they first made the offer to him.

"Feli, why don't you drive. I am getting so sick of seeing Alfred in these rags." Julius said with what Alfred swore was with a hint of malice. "You are so fast."

"Si Grandpa!" Feliciano said as he got behind the wheel. "I will make sure you get there in style and we will make you look fantastic." He said as he started the car and headed down the road.

So how was that? Good? Bad? Short? Long? Let me know in a review. Toris working in a meatpacking plant is a reference to The Jungleby Upton Sinclair. Takes place about 20 years before this story is set and the protagonist is from Lithuania. However, there are parts in it so shocking, it inspired Teddy Roosevelt to sign a law leading to the formation of the FDA. A great read but I would not do it while at lunch at some parts. I do have a few other historically set Hetalia fics as well. You can check my profile for some of them like Klondike, any of the three "of the Heart" journal series and World's fair is a historically set oneshot. That one doesn't have romance, the other three do. But anyway, remember to read (well you just did) and to review. Ciao for now,

Otherrealmwriter

Aka

Realm.