Finally got this done, thank God. Anyways, enjoy it. Review if you will. By the way, this is really more in Gilbert's POV than Elizabeta's like it usually is. Still in third person though, so that's not different. Oh, and before I forget, sorry about the mix up on the last chapter. It's been corrected, so if you read it and didn't understand it at all, that's my fault. It's corrected now. Enough of my ramblings though. So now for my lovely readers I give you, the next chapter. Have fun. And please alway remember that I honestly don't own Hetalia and never will.
Gilbert woke first the next morning. He looked over to see Elizabeta lying next to him. He smiled and leaned over so he could kiss her cheek. She stirred and blinked her green eyes up at him. She answered his smile with one of her own.
"Good morning." she said.
"To you too." he answered.
The pair both sat up, Elizabeta holding the sheets to cover herself. Gilbert smirked at her, making the Hungarian's cheeks turn red.
"You should get dressed and go." she said.
The smirk faded from his face. "You're kicking me out? With everything that happened last night?"
"No, it's just, the servants will be coming back in today and well, they talk. A lot."
"Oh, okay. I understand. I'll just take you with me, then. We can go into town. I'll take you home with me. You can just start a new life. Never look back."
"No, Gilbert. I can't leave." Elizabeta interrupted.
He turned his blazing red eyes on her. "Why not?"
"I'm married. I made a commitment to stay with him. Besides, what would my family think? Where would I go? I can't do it, Gil."
He sighed and looked away. "I can't leave you here for that monster to beat you again when he gets back. I won't leave until you do."
"I'll go with you today. But I have to be back before he is."
"Well, when is he coming home?"
"I don't exactly know. A few weeks, maybe."
Gilbert smiled again. "Then, we have plenty of time." He stood and grabbed his clothes off the floor. Starting to dress himself, he glanced over at Elizabeta and froze in shock.
She had stood and starting walking across the room to her wardrobe. Her long hair was swept over her shoulder revealing her scarred back. Long cuts and gashes overlapped each other giving her the look of being put in a cheese grater. Some were healed while others looked infected. Some were pathetically bandaged with flecks of blood showing through the thin padding.
He had noticed a few cuts on her arms but hadn't realized the extent of the damage until now. Just looking at her made him want to wince in pain. What she must be feeling right now… He didn't want to think of it.
He dropped the shirt he had been about to put on and walked over to her. She glanced over her shoulder at him.
"Elizabeta, what happened?" he asked, eyes glued wide in shock.
"What do you mean?" she asked a little confused.
"Your back…" he clarified, reaching out to run a gentle finger over a cut to make sure it was really there. It was so horrible he could hardly believe it.
She flinched in response, causing him to quickly retract his hand. "Nothing, I fell."
"You fell? Fell on what?"
"It was an accident." she muttered starting to cry again. "He didn't mean to do it, I'm sure."
"He did this to you?" Gilbert almost yelled. "I swear I'll kill him. Elizabeta, if it has gotten this bad, why haven't you left yet?"
"I can't leave. I can't. My family, Roderich, I can't get away from them. I can't." she said turning around.
Gilbert shook his head. He could hardly look at the fear in her eyes. It made his blood boil to see her so hurt and afraid. "You give me the word and I'll take you away from here forever. I'll never make you do anything against your will, though. I'm nothing like him."
"I know that!" she snapped. "But it doesn't matter. I can't leave him."
He slowly reached forward and wiped her cheek. "I won't leave without you. I have to get you out of here." He stepped forward and placed a kiss on her forehead.
"No, I won't leave." she said stubbornly. "You don't understand."
"How could I?" he pulled her forward into a gentle hug. "I don't understand what you're going through, or why you're being so stubborn. But I just want to help you."
"I don't need help." she pushed him away. "I just need to be left alone."
"After everything I said, after everything we did, you just want me to leave and never look back?" he asked astounded.
"It would be better for both of us." she whispered.
"I love you, Eli. I can't do that."
"I love you, too, but it won't work."
"What did you say?" he asked. "You love me?"
"Yes. But it doesn't make a difference now. I'm a married woman. Please just leave and pretend this never happened."
He backed up, eyes widening as if he'd been slapped. "How can you say that? I don't understand why you want to stay here!"
"I don't want to. I have to." her voice had dropped to below a whisper. "Listen, if you do love me, you'll leave. Leave and not come here again."
"How is that fair? If you love someone, you should be with them."
"Not this time."
"Eli, no. I refuse to leave you in the hands of a man who beats you in his spare time. Someone who doesn't even love you. And that you would ask me to do that is horrible. I can get you away from him. You'll never have to see him again. We can be together. Just you and me. Please, consider this."
"Gilbert, I can't. He'll find me. He'll hurt me more. I can't take that risk."
"No, he won't."
"Yes, he will."
Gilbert sighed and looked away, a bit of anger boiling up in his blood. He started to pace between the bed and the wall. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Elizabeta finish getting dressed. He turned when she walked past him toward the door.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
She shrugged and kept going. He quickly threw on his shirt and followed her out of the bedroom and down the stairs. Once on the bottom step she stopped and waited for him to catch up.
"Gilbert, I'll make a deal with you." she whispered so softly he had to lean in a bit to hear her.
"What's that?" he asked for clarification.
"I'm going to stay here, but we can still see each other every now and then. You can come here whenever Roderich leaves. I'll even try to sneak out sometimes. We can make it work, somehow. It won't be perfect, but with the circumstances it never will be. Would you be able to accept that?"
She looked up at him with almost pleading eyes. He felt his heart break in half at the sight. He knew he wouldn't be able to convince her to permanently leave with him right now. This was probably the best offer he was going to get for the present moment.
"Okay, Eli." he said with a small smile. "I can live with that."
She breathed a sigh of relief and looked away. He reached over and grabbed her hand in his own. Then he started pulling her toward the door.
"Wait! What are you doing? Where are you trying to take me?" she asked trying to stop.
"I'm going to show you my place now." he said with a huge smirk in her direction. "Come on, it's going to be great."
He felt her relax a little bit, and he pulled her the rest of the way to the door. Then, with a happier countenance, the pair made their way toward Gilbert's home. As they walked, they never let go of the other's hand.
Tell me what you think!
