America closed the door to his car, twirling the keys on his finger as he whistled, popping open the trunk of his car and grabbing out his suit case. The issue at the world meeting had been serious- North Korea was threatening South Korea with nuclear weapons again- but when he was home, the problems seemed to weigh a bit less on his shoulders, no one was breathing down his neck, and no one was expecting him to save the world.

He closed the trunk and strutted up the pathway to his house. As soon as he opened the door, the scent of mint mocha bark engulfed him. He chuckled to himself. It smelled like Christmas year-round in this household.

"DADDY! DADDY'S HOME, MOMMY!" A excited, shrill voice shouted, and a little girl came bursting in the living room, racing towards America with a huge smile on her face, revealing a missing front tooth. Her skin had a natural olive glow to it, her wavy, thick hair a sandy brown color. She had crystal blue eyes which sparkled like Alfred's, but perhaps the most noticeable trait was a thin cowlick at her part.

America laughed, dropping his suit case and stooping down, wrapping his arms around the little girl, who giggled uncontrollably. "Vani! You've gotten so big since the last time I saw you! I can't believe it!" He exclaimed, standing up and flipping the girl upside down.

She screamed in amusement. "Daddy, I saw you this morning at breakfast!" She reminded him, far too young to understand the joking tone in her father's voice.

"Wow, really? It seemed like a lot longer, sunshine." He explained, flipping the girl right side up and pecking her nose lovingly.

"Dada!" Another, much smaller voice sounded, and Alfred glanced at the floor to see another smaller child waddling quickly towards him. He had a thick head of curly brown hair and hazel brown eyes, with a paler tone of skin. Being only about three, his cheeks were still round with baby fat, and he reached out to Alfred eagerly, flashing a smile with his small baby teeth.

"Konner!" Alfred laughed in greeting, shifting Vani to one hip with ease, before scooping up the toddler. "Hey, buddy." He cooed slightly as he planted a kiss on his forehead.

Leaving the door wide open, he trekked into the kitchen, peering inside eagerly. Inside, mixing her spaghetti sauce with intense concentration, was Shelby, her dark brown curls cut shorter, with a few grey hairs littered throughout it. She glanced up and smiled. "Hey, Alfie. Guess what came in the mail today."

"Ummmmmmm, could it the royalty for your book?" Alfred prodded with an eager smile.

"Yes!" She cheered. "I'm so happy! We should celebrate! We should go up to Houghton Lake or something and stay in a cabin. We should invite Matthew and his family!"

"Uncle Mattie!" Vani cheered. "I like his Putin."

Alfred snorted. "Avanjalean, it's poutine, not the Russian president."

The child frowned. "That's what I said!"

The family sat down and ate their dinner, Konner making quite a mess on his clothes and face, while Avanjalean complained that she didn't like mushrooms in her spaghetti. As per usual, Shelby told her daughter that one day, she would learn to appreciate the Paglia spaghetti sauce recipe, while Alfred easily downed three bowls. After dinner, Alfred ran Konner through the bath while Shelby got Vani ready for bed. It was Friday, meaning it was movie night, and Shelby somehow convinced her children it was a good idea to watch a TMNT movie that came out 13 years ago.

They grabbed a bunch of blankets and made a pallet on the living room floor. After hearing the humans occupy the living room, a slowed, aged golden retriever made his way from his dog bed into Shelby's lap, where she greeted him with a loving, "Good morning, my little puppy," as she bent down and gave him a kiss on the side of his head.

It was perfect.

Until Apollo started crying.

Shelby's eyes squeezed tighter for a second, before they fluttered open. She sat up, covering her mouth as she took in her surroundings. The TV flickered the credits to Civil War, and she could hear Apollo in the kitchen, barking and letting out small whines to be let outside. She laid right next to Alfred, angled so that she had likely been laying across Alfred's stomach as she spelt. He himself was fast asleep, snoring away, his glasses slanted on his face.

Carefully, she picked herself up and opened the door for the dog, letting her still-young puppy into the backyard as she covered her face, grinding her teeth together to keep the tears from spilling down her cheeks.

She let out a shaky breath, glancing over at her sleeping boyfriend, her heart panging with a heavy dismay.

She had never been one for kids or even the idea of marriage, but now that she was in love with someone who she could never have that with, it was something that she that sat festering in the back of her mind. It was reality she could only live in her dreams.