Disclaimer- I do not own Hetalia or England/Arthur Kirkland. Only the story line which you read.

This is the heroine's introduction chapter, my next chapter will be for Arthur so don't you worry. Be sure to review, comment and/or critique please!

"Cover up with makeup in the mirror
tell yourself, it's never gonna happen again
You cry alone and then he swears he loves you."

- Face Down by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Chapter 1

Renee was beginning to hyperventilate, the tears were running down her face and blinding her. She leaned her head back against the door with a thump and tried to slow her breathing. She slid down to the floor and wrapped her arms around her knees and cried. She couldn't believe this kept happening. She slowly began to calm down and brushed the tears from her face. Renee raised her arm and looked at her wrist, the one that he had grabbed. There was an angry red hand print wrapped around it and it was throbbing, just like her jaw. Why did she always believe him when he said he would never do it again? Why was she so stupid?

"I'm so stupid," she whispered to herself. A knock sounded from her bedroom door, making her jerk. Terror shot down her spine.

"Sweetie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit you. I was just so angry and you just happened to be right there. Please forgive me, this won't happen again, I swear," his voice seeped through the door. He sounded so sweet, so sincere, she wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe him, to believe that he was sorry, that this would never happen again, however, it would. Renee stood up on shaky legs and wrapped her arms around her waist as she walked to her closet. She had to get ready for work. She had to go to work at the diner tonight. She grabbed her diner dress and slipped it on over her shorts and tank top. She slipped on some shoes and went into their connected bathroom, ignoring the knocking at the door. She had a job she had to go to and had to look decent at. She pulled her muddy, brown hair back in a bun, sticking in multiple pins to keep back the strays so only her bangs were free. A knock sounded from the bathroom doorway. Renee glanced over and saw him standing there, his white hair hanging in his face as he leaned against the doorway.

"Babe, I'm real sorry about it. I didn't mean to, I just lost control. It won't happen again. Won't you look at me baby?" he took a step towards her and she automatically flinched. He brushed his fingers across her bruising jaw, not even noticing how she flinched. His eyes were soft, he looked like he was in pain too. She felt hatred for him all of a sudden. She loved him, but she hated him so much for this. She turned back to the mirror.

"I have to get ready for work Gilbert", she grabbed her compact and started to try to cover up the bruise, wincing while doing so. His hand fell to her shoulder, as he simply watched her. He felt awful watching her cover up the bruise, even more so when he saw the bruise forming on her wrist. He never meant to hurt her, this time or any of the others.

"I love you Renee, you know that. Right?" Gilbert asked, trying to peer into her eyes. She glanced at him as she began to put on the mascara.

"Of course", Renee said out of habit, "I get off around 3 am tonight, I'll make your breakfast before I go to bed. That way all you have to do is warm it up when you get up for work." She moved passed him, back to the closet to get a jacket. The nights were getting colder now and she didn't want to walk home without a jacket again. She pulled out the pink sweater that she had been given for Christmas a couple years ago. She grabbed her purse on the way out of their room.

"I'll walk you to the diner Renee", Gilbert called out as he followed her. She stopped at the front door of their apartment and waited quietly. There was no point in trying to argue with him, she would end up with more bruises, or worse. He grabbed his jacket off the back of the couch and his keys from the coffee table. He opened the door for her, hoping to come off as a gentleman like before.

*~time skip~*

She was cleaning the dishes off of the table, she was in a slightly better mood after the last customer left. She had gotten a five dollar tip from them. After dropping off the dishes in the kitchen she went back to one of the booths and sat down. Her head rested in her hands, she wasn't looking forward to going home to Gilbert. She had two more hours of solace left before then. "Here ya go sweetie", the sound of a plate being placed on the table sounded. She looked up and saw Wendy, another waitress slightly older than her, standing there. She placed a glass in front of Renee as well. "Cherry pie and a glass of chocolate milk, your fave", Wendy sat down across from Renee.

Renee kept her head down as she grabbed a fork, "Thanks Wen". She took a bite of the pie and they sat in silence as she kept eating. Renee had been avoiding Wendy all night, now here they were, sitting across from each other and there was nowhere for her to go. She grabbed her milk and took a drink of it, earning a gasp from the girl across from her.

"Ren! What happened?!" Wendy nearly shouted as she stood up from her seat, palms flat on the table.

"Oh, uhm nothing, I was just moving some things around the apartment and well I hit myself while doing so", Renee stumbled over what to say. This happened every time.

"Bull shit, kid. He hit you, didn't he? The good for nothing hit you and he's been doin' it for a while, but you won't say anythin' bout it. He's the reason you haven't been showing up to those acting classes I told you about, huh?" Wendy's voice was raising with each word.

"Wen, please. He means well. He does. It was an accident honestly", Renee held up her hands in a defensive motion. She didn't like yelling, no matter the source. Wendy sat back down in a huff.

"Look, this is bad. If that man loved you, he wouldn't lay a damn hand on you like that. You've been coming in here with bruises since the two of you moved in together. You don't talk about your auditions anymore. I haven't heard a word from you 'bout your dreams. What happened to Hollywood or London? Those were your dreams. He's killed your dreams and now he's slowly killin' you. Things don't get better with guys like this. You gotta change, you gotta get out otherwise he's just goanna keep hitting you, one day it'll be worse", Wendy reached over the table for Renee's hands. Renee couldn't look at the red headed waitress.

"He loves me, I know he does. I can't leave him, he's worth giving up a little dream for", Renee's voice was weaker than before. She was losing the fight in her.

"Sweetie, no one is worth giving up a dream for. Especially when you have the talent for your dream. That man, if you don't get out now, you never will", Wendy squeezed her hands and smiled softly, "You still got that secret savings? I think it's time you busted in to it."

Renee looked up at the red head, "Where would I go? Gil will just follow me, he'll drag me back home and it'll be worse than before. He won't let me be around you again either, he'll find out you told me I should leave."

"You have a passport, from when we went to Mexico. Make use of it. You make it out of this place, go to London, you sure as well talk 'bout it enough. You go there, leave everything else behind. You call no one here, not me, not Gilbert, not a soul. You make a new email, everything will be new. You start over in London and you do what you love. I'll make sure you get there", Wendy said looking Renee straight in the eyes. And for the first time in a while, Renee actually believed that things might change.

*~time skip~*

A young girl, who couldn't be any older than 19, walked out of the London City Airport terminal. Her flight from New York having landed only twenty-five minutes ago. The flight over had been long and dull, but she had gotten the best sleep she had had in a long time…well while the kid in the seat in front of her wasn't screaming at least. Her dark brown hair was pulled back in a make-shift bun her dark eyes shining with excitement. Anyone who laid eyes on her would describe her as beautiful, with her pale complexion and lean body. With her suitcase in hand and a duffle bag over her shoulder she smiled, for the first time in a long time, up at the cloudy sky. She was here for one reason and one reason only. Acting. She was planning to try her luck at acting in London England, whether or not it paid off, she was about to find out. She saved up all her money and left her small town and everyone in it behind in America. Including the memories and ghosts that haunted her there. "Hmm…now where is a taxi?" she mumbled to herself as she checked her watch. She needed to get to the apartment she had arranged for before it got too late.

*~time skip~*

She walked through her apartment door and dropped her duffle with a sigh. She was finally here. Her hair was soaked, it had begun pouring while she was in the taxi and still had been when she got out. She had become drenched in a matter of seconds when she got out. She couldn't wait for tomorrow when the bed she ordered would arrive. She locked her door and turned on a light before dragging her suitcase and duffle up the stairs. She sighed when she realized she was going to need to order takeout for dinner, she simply didn't want to go back out in that rain to get groceries. She dragged herself into her room where she dropped both the duffle and suitcase on the ground with a huff. "I can't wait for my things I ordered to get here tomorrow", she groaned as she collapsed onto the floor. She had shipped the few boxes of her things she own and had to order the rest of the things for the apartment. They were scheduled to be delivered tomorrow and the day after.

She opened her suitcase and pulled out her sleeping bag and pillow along with her ragged teddy bear. She rolled it out and tossed the pillow and bear on it as she stood up. She stretched and then pulled out her phone, 9 missed calls, 26 text messages, and 7 voicemails. All but one missed call was from the same person. She thought about throwing her phone out the window but when her stomach growled she thought better of that. She quickly checked for any delivery places before settling on a pizza joint. "Keepin' it simple", she mumbled to herself after placing an order. She looked out the window at the rain and begun to wonder if anyone knew she had come here. She hoped not, her sanity was on the line and so was her dream. Her doorbell rang, breaking her trance and bringing her back down to earth. There was no way that was the pizza guy and there was no way that it was her stuff being delivered. Her heart was beating like a drum as she made her way down stairs. She took a deep breath as she reached the door and looked through the peephole and sighed in relief when she saw blond hair. A stranger.