Maddie Williams looked down at the world below her from her high vantage point in the clouds. How she longed to be back down with them once more, to get away from this so called 'heaven'. Having died only a month ago, she was still not used to the world of angels, it was foreign to her. There was so much to learn before she could gain the rank of a guardian angel, something she so desperately wanted so she can go back and roam with the members of her past life, to roam with her past love, but alas, she was not awarded that delicacy yet. The new angel stood and stretched her wings, peering over the edge of the cloud. If she were to jump, what would be the consequences? Death was surely something she didn't need to worry about, but what about expulsion? Could they send her to the gates of hell for escaping those of heaven? She would have to find out, because before she knew it, she was off the cloud, plummeting to earth.

America was walking through the park, eating a burger. He wasn't as cheerful as usual... He hadn't been since Maddie had passed. Lost in his thoughts, he was suddenly startled, seeing a falling figure, eyes wide at the sight and rushing to the most likely crash site.

She hit the ground hard, a small crater forming beneath her. Her everything hurt, and pain was not something she was used to now.  G-d had told her that she needn't worry about it now, though here she was, feeling like she had just been hit by that truck all over again. Alfred rushed to her side, dropping his half-eaten burger in shock.

"M...Maddie..?" He crouched next to her, still trying to comprehend the sight before him.
"D-Dude, how... I..." For once in his life, he was at a loss for words.

"Hmm..?" Her brain was fuzzy and her vision blurred. Even through her half delirious state, she could recognize those brilliant blue eyes. "A-Alfred..?"

He hugged her close, holding back tears 'Heroes never cry' he thought to himself. 'At least not in front of others.' "Maddie... How are you here? D-Dude, I thought you... y-ya know..." His voice was shaky.

"I-I don't know... o-one minute I was... up there a-and the next I was down here..." She wrapped her arms tightly around him, glad to be back in his warm embrace. This was what heaven truly was to her...

He nuzzled into her hair. "I-I've missed ya so much... You have no idea..." He'd felt horrible for all of the times he'd forgotten her name, or her altogether. Everyone did, after she passed. "I-I can't believe you're finally back..." Canada remained silent, for she didn't know what to say. There were no words for how she felt right now, all she knew was this was where she wanted to be.

Alfred smiled gently. "Let's get ya to my place, so you can rest..." He picked her up with ease, beginning to walk home with his beloved sister in his hold. She folded her wings back behind her as he held her, not finding a need to use them right now. Plus, she didn't think she would be able to. She wouldn't be leaving soon anyway.

Alfred stroked the wings gently. "S-So... You're an angel..?" he smiled. Not much change from when she was alive, he thought. As rude as he was to her at times, he'd always admired how polite she was... Not that he planned to admit it.

"Y-yeah... i-it's not all that it's cracked up to be... there's no fun people around... e-everyone is to nice..." She wanted to tell him that there were no people like him up there, but that would be a tad to rude for an angel's taste.

"Really?" he questioned. "Weird... Do they have good food?" he asked, offering a goofy grin, trying to make his sister smile back.
She shrugged. The food there was really good. "I've gorged myself on pancakes for the past month... and the good thing is that I won't get fat now..."

"Lucky!" he laughed, looking down at his slightest hint of stomach flab. not enough to even be chubby, but still. "So, no fun people there, huh?" he asked. "I-I mean, not that you aren't fun and all, dude!" he laughed again, this time a bit more nervously.

She raised an eyebrow up at him. "No not really... everyone is super nice though... but there's no mischief... it's pretty boring... I've already done all the fun stuff there..."

"...Do they have sports?" he asked. "Or any animals?" he knew how much his sister liked that polar bear, Kumatati or something like that.

"Oh yeah, I get to play ice hockey whenever I want...and there are so many animals there... whenever I'm especially bored, I go and pet all the bears..." She paused, thoughtful. "Oh that reminds me... how's Kumajiro...?" She worried that the bear might have gotten sick, Alfred wasn't really the attentive type when it can to pets.

Alfred chuckled. "Yeah, I bet~! And Kumajirou has been great~! He and Americat really hit off~" he smiled. "They're, like, best buds,now! Total bros~ Though I'm pretty sure he missed ya... He keeps looking out the window like he's waitin' for you..." His smile grew. "He'll be so psyched to see you~!"  She smiled some at the prospect of seeing her beloved bear. He was the only one that ever really paid attention to her before she died, though he probably just wanted food. But she would take what she could get.

"We've all missed you, ya know..." he said softly, arriving at the house. "Can you stand on your own..?"

She furrowed her brows some. "Y-yeah..." She hopped out of his arms and stood on shaky feet, trying to remember how to use them. They were unneeded in Heaven, hence the wings.
America supported her with one arm, unlocking the door and heading in. "DUDES! You'll never guess who I found~!" Americat padded up to the, though didn't seem to really pay attention to either of them. Kumajirou followed, though looked up, eyes wide.

"Oh my baby!" She wiggled from Alfred's grasp and rushed over to the bear, picking him up and swinging him around a bit. "Mama missed you~!"

Kumajirou stared, before finally: "...Canada?" America's eyes widened.

"DUDE! He said your name~! HE TOTES SAID YOUR NAME~!"

"That's cause he's my smart little guy~!" She cooed at him, hugging him tightly as Kumajirou nuzzled Canada back happily, now silent.

"I'll grill us up some burgers to celebrate!" America laughed. "Betcha missed my food with all of those pancakes~"

"Eh, I like pancakes... But I like burgers too..." She cuddled Kumajirou, petting the soft fur on his massive head. Kumajirou leaned into her touch, seeming relaxed and joyful.

America ran outside with the meat, firing up the grill. He had to make the best meal he could for this, not that it would be too hard. The hero could do or make anything... Anything burger related, at least. She slowly and shakily followed Alfred outside, still unsteady on her legs and weighed down by the not-so-little bear, but she could care less right now. America threw the patties on the grill, turning to her, unsure of what to say.

She looked up at her brother, for his silence made her uneasy. Maybe he forgot about her again, she wouldn't really be surprised... "H-how has mom and dad been..?"

"They didn't take it that well... I don't think I've ever seen Iggy cry before this, at least not that I remember... But... They managed best they could," he sighed, flipping the meat. "When I said we all missed you, I REALLY mean it..."

She had never seen her dad cry before, her mom, yes, but never her father. "I-I still find it hard believe..." Surely those were the only people that cared.

"He did...  And he felt horrible for all the times he forgot you... I think the guilt made him cry more than anything... Every country was at the funeral..." he told her.

That flabbergasted Maddie. A good 99% of the nation didn't even see her, Sweden actually sat on her one time. "W-well..."

"The Commie even left a sunflower at your grave... I'm pretty sure Belarus stole it after the funeral, though," he chuckled awkwardly. "But, yeah, everyone was there."

"O-oh..." She had asked G-d to let her go down and see her funeral, but he didn't want her to, she had to stay up and start her training, but oh well she supposed.

"I-It was kinda crazy, but overall it went pretty nicely, for a funeral..." he shrugged with a sigh, deciding not to tell her that he may have cried more than anyone... Next to France, who was always an emotional train wreck in one way or another. She scoffed a bit and laid her chin on Kumajirou's fur.

"D-did you cry...?"

America looked down. "....Yeah... Of course I did. Y-You're my sis... How COULDN'T I cry...?" He turned to her. "I... I'm just glad you're back."

She looked away from him for a moment. As happy as Maddie was to be back, she feared that it wouldn't be for to much longer. The skies above them were already getting grew, He knew she was missing, and he wouldn't stand to let her stay.

"Maddie, what's wrong...?" He sat next to her. The sister hid her face in the bear's fur and began to talk, her voice muffled. Alfred frowned, tilting his head. "Dude, gotta speak up... I can't hear ya..."

She lifted her head up some. "I-I'm going to have to go soon..."

The American's eyes widened in panic. "W-What..? N-NO! But you JUST came back!" he prayed that this was some cruel practical joke, though knew she would never do that. "M-Maddie... No..."

"I-It's not my choice..." She jabbed her finger toward the grey sky. "It's His... a-and he's not happy with me right now..."

"I-I can't lose you! Not again!" He forced back tears, not wanting her to see him cry.

"C-Can't ya make some deal with Him?"

"He's not one to make deals..." Canada's lower lips started to quiver some. There was still so much she needed to catch up on... hopefully, He had a heart and would let her stay longer.

America hugged her. "Just... try... Please..." he pulled away, taking the burgers off the grill. He already might have to lose his sister again. Didn't want to lose his house to a fire, too. "And... No matter what happens, I SWEAR... I'll always remember you..."  

She looked back down, trying to hide some tears that sprang to her eyes. But Maddie was always terrible at hiding her feeling, so they poured out anyway. The sight of his sister's tears prompted Alfred's own, which he'd been holding back the entire visit. The droplets rolled slowly down his cheek as he embraced her again, firmly, terrified of letting go.

She hugged him back tightly, sobbing quietly into his bomber jacket. "I-I don't w-want t-to leave!"

"I-I don't want ya to, either," he assured her. Never before had he felt so helpless: Unable to even keep his sister with him. "I-I'm the Hero... I should have s-saved you..."
The tears came out faster as he recalled that awful memory. "Y-you c-couldn't though..."

"I d-don't care! I-I was supposed to be y-your hero a-and your brother... I w-was s'posed t-to keep you safe and p-protect you with my own life..." He was shaking slightly.

"H-how could you even h-have known..? Y-you weren't there..." The was trying to calm him down some, it really wasn't his fault. She was the one who wasn't watching where she was going, she was the one that stepped into the street. No one was to blame but her.

"I-I know..." he whispered. "B-But... I-It shouldn't have happened... Y-You didn't deserve it..." he replied weakly. "I-It isn't fair! Why you, of all people?! Y-You're the nicest person I-I ever knew..."

She didn't have an answer for that, all G-d told her was that it was her time. Frankly, she thought that was a load of bull: She was still so young. Why would it be her time? "I-I don't k-know..."

"Maddie... I-I just want you to know... Y-You're the best sister anyone could ask for, a-and I l-love you..." He tightened the hug, though careful not to hurt her. "E-Even if ya h-hafta go... P-Promise me that if... no, WHEN, you come back, the first person you visit w-will be me..." He looked her in the eyes, his own tears still falling.

The Canadian lifted her head from his jacket and looked back at him. She had never seen him cry before either... "I-I promise..." She didn't have the heart to tell him that unless she got the rank of guardian angel, she would never be able come back. G-d would make sure of that.

He forced a small, sad smile. "Th-Thank you..." He took off the jacket, wrapping it around her. "T-Take this..."

"B-but I'm not c-cold..." She had been shaking, but that was from fear and sadness rather than cold.

"I know... But keep it... So you have something to remember the promise, alright..?" He gently wiped her tears. However, more tears spilled as she hugged the jacket around her. This was probably his favorite thing ever. He never took it off, even in the summer time.

"O-okay..."

He kept wiping her tears. "And don't forget a burger for the road~" he said, trying his best to cheer her up, even a little. He added the bun, ketchup, lettuce and tomato before giving it to her. "And... And be careful..." He smiled through his own tears, making the best of things as well as he could.

"O-Okay...." she repeated, taking the burger and giving him a small smile before she felt herself away.  She started panicking. She really didn't want to leave, but right now she had no other choice.

"Never forget the promise, a-alright?" America reminded her one last time. "And... And I promise to tell the others that you say hi!" The tears flowed more quickly at the thought of her leaving. 'But she'll be back' he told himself. 'Someday...'

"O-okay....I-I lo-" before she could utter those last words, she disappeared again, popping up at the feet of G-d himself, crying harder than she ever has before.  America collapsed to his knees, sobbing silently. Kumajirou tugged on his shirt, as though trying to be of comfort, though  the sight of his sister's pet only made him more upset.

Maddie sat there on the cloud, being scolded by G-d, though she could care less, her mind was somewhere else, far below with her brother. Every tear dripped fell for him and she plotted the next time she would see him. Hell would even be a consequence she would be willing to take if she could see him once more.

America picked up Kumajirou with a sigh. "It's going t-to be okay," he told the bear, though mostly was telling himself. "She'll be back... I-I know she will..."

"Who?" Kumajirou asked, though seemed to already know the answer. Alfred looked up at the sky, a hopeful grin forming.

"Canada."