Alfred remembers the warmth of his mother's love and misses her greatly

"Hey, America!" Denmark shouted as he ran over, grinning largely at the other blond. "Prussia, Spain, France, and I are going out for drinks today. Wanna come?"

America blinked for a second then smiled and shook his head. "Sorry, dude! But Canada and I already have plans!"

"Alright, next time then, buddy!" Denmark waved before rushing off to catch up with Prussia and the others. America smiled a bit as he watched them leave, the smile soon slipped away after they left the building. He sighed as he slowly started walking after them down the hall.

The valet for the World Meetings had his car ready in front of the building just as America stepped out. The boy smiled at him and handed the keys over.

"Happy Mother's Day, Mr. Jones."

"Happy Mother's Day, Isaiah. How's your mom doing? Has she gotten over the flu yet?" America asked as he took the keys, smiling as he saw the boy brighten up at being remembered.

"Oh yes, sir! She's all better now, just has a little cough she's trying to get over. Thank you for remembering!"

"No problem," He got into the car and opened the glove box, taking out a few $20s and handing it over, "Have a nice day with your mom, Isaiah."

The boy's eyes widened as he took the money and beamed back at him, nodding excitedly as America left. America really liked that boy, very excitable and honest, a little too honest at times but still sincere. And from what he's heard, he had a very good mother as well. Alfred was almost envious of Isaiah and all that he had in his life, all that he was free to do...

After a few hours of driving, America was completely surrounded by the forests of North Carolina. It was peaceful for a moment before the sound of drums and yelling filled the air. America smiled a bit as he started walking down a path in the Qualla Boundary Reservation, his hands stuffed in his pockets and head hanging down.

The yelling was becoming distant the more he walked until he was completely surrounded by the sounds of nature. The Cherokees on this reservation always had a little show to perform for special holidays like today, it was nice from what he heard. Alfred never went to see it himself, he would just feel pain in his heart at seeing the Natives dance for the tourists. The Natives of old would be too proud to dance for the amusement of others... 

America sighed as he reached a clearing on the path, the sunlight shining through the trees and making the area shine in an almost magical way. A small smile made its way onto his face as he walked up to the young man that was also standing in the clearing. 

"You got here early," America said as he looked at the large stone they were standing in front of.

"I left the meeting earlier than everyone else," Canada looked at America and smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

America nodded slightly as he looked at the rock, seeing a bouquet of lilies sitting on it. "Oh damn! I forgot to get flowers!"

Canada chuckled as he reached into his briefcase and pulled out a bouquet of tulips to hand to America, "I knew you would, so I planned ahead."

America felt the need to scowl at his twin but refrained from doing so as he took the flowers and nodded gratefully as he placed them on top of the rock. His hand slid down the rock as he knelt in front of it and closed his eyes.

~*~*~

"Etsi, who are these people? Why do they look like Al and I?" A small child with long wavy hair asked a dark-skinned woman. The woman smiled down at her two sons, lifting them up into her arms and kissing their cheeks.

"They will be your new family and friends soon."

"I don't want new friends and family," The short-haired boy whined, "I want to stay with you and the tribe!"

The Native girl just smiled as she watched the white men from the trees.

~*~*~

"Etsi, etsi!" Alfred yelled as he ran over to his mother, giggling as he was lifted into the air.

"What is it, atsusta?"

"Mr. England says that he's going to be my big brother now! He promised to take care of me, so that means he'll take care of you too!"

Her eyes widened as she looked down at her son, emotions swirling inside her. She knew that this would happen, but she didn't think it would be so fast...

"Isn't this great, etsi?" Alfred asked, his blue eyes large and curious as he stared up at her.

"Yes, my darling... It is very good..."

~*~*~

"Hey, Mattie, have you seen mother?" Alfred asked as he looked out the window to his house. His twin looked up from the book he was reading and shrugged, glancing out the window into the night as well.

"I'm not sure... She said she would walk with me from my home to here, but she never showed up. I had to walk by myself."

Alfred frowned as he took this information in. This was very unlike his mom... He and Matthew had been living alone for a while now, and while England and France always visited their colonies, their mother was always around when the countries were gone.

Alfred got up from his seat and started walking to the door, ignoring Matthew's calls for him not to go out at night. Alfred needed to find out where his mother was, he needed to know she was alright. The wildlife never hurt him, so he had no worries when it came to walking through the woods at night. His mother was nearby, he could feel it. But he also felt something else... something that felt dangerous.

Alfred rushed through the woods, following where his senses told him to go and soon appearing in an open section of the woods. Thunder started rumbling overhead, lightning flashing through the sky and lighting up the clearing, letting Alfred see the figure of a woman a little ways ahead of him.

"Mother? Mother, is that you?" He called, cupping his hands around his mouth to try and out-howl the wind. The woman turned around and Alfred didn't need the lightning to see the fear on his mother's face. "Mother, what's wrong?"

"Alfred, atsusta, stay away! Go back home!" She yelled back at him, her jet-black hair whipping around her face as she tried to wave him away.

Alfred took a step to her before his eyes widened, the realization of what was happening finally hitting him like a ton of bricks. But he couldn't do anything to stop her from fading away, it was already too late... She was gone.

~*~*~

"Esti..." America whispered as he struggled to hold back his tears. Canada looked at him and knelt beside him, wrapping his brother in a hug. America wrapped his arm around Canada as the two brothers grieved together. 

Canada would never be able to fully understand what his brother went through when he saw their mother fade, but they both felt the same pain when this day came every year. On this day, they were no longer America and Canada; they were just Alfred and Matthew, missing their mother that died too soon.

Etsi - mother
Atsusta - my son

A/N: Happy Mother's Day, everyone! Have this little angst-y story! Please remember to appreciate your mom today, no matter what your relations with her are. She may not like how you're into anime or your life choices, but she still deserves to be remembered today. And to those who have lost their moms, I'm so sorry for what you must go through on days like these.