Two days Lizzie receive a letter delivered by a nurse from her Aunt Margot, her late mother's older sister who stopped communicating with the family after her sister's death.

She reclined in the hospital bed and unfolded the stationary paper carefully and read.

My Dear Niece,

I must say that after so long an estrangement I was surprised to receive a letter from you, but after reading your inquiries I understand that I am now the only one who can tell you about your mother.

These are painful things to speak on Elizabeth, and for years I have fought not to remember them but now that you are grown you deserve to know what your mother was like and how she really died

Your father never wished for you to know about your mother and her peculiarities, and after the car accident, when it seemed you had lost a good chunk of your memories of your mother, your father forbade anyone from telling you the truth.

Your mother was a very sick woman, Elizabeth, but she loved you with every fiber of her being.

She had been ill her entire life, depressed, paranoid, even manic at times, but you must remember in those days there were few options for those who suffered mental ailments. And the family refused to place her in one of those horrific asylums.

It was only after she met your father that she sought help for her condition. Your parents loved each other very much, I might even call it true love if I believed in such a thing, but your mother was never happy on the medication.

A year after you were born your father moved you all out to the country, hoping life outside the city would content your mother and for a time it did.

Until my sister's death I was a large part of your life Elizabeth, I was always around in case your mother went into a fit and your father needed to care for her, that way there would be someone to care for you as well.

You were always a strange child my dear, peculiar if you will, and it only intensified after your mother's death. We began to suspect that you may have inherited some of your mother's ailments and it broke your parents' heart to think that you might suffer in this life as she had.

After your eighth birthday your mother's ailment became steadily worse, until your father finally proposed that she be sent away to a hospital.

If any good came out of that car crash Elizabeth, it's that you do not have to remember your mother in that state, and I will not describe it to you for your own sake.

Your mother discovered that your father had booked a consultation at a mental institution in the city for her to stay in until she became well again, and that night she snuck out of the house and took you with her.

She left a note behind that was later burned that told us that she never wanted you to suffer as she did, and that she would do whatever it took to make sure you never ended up in a hospital like she would have.

After the crash the first responders were able to get you out of the car, but were not able to save your mother.

Your mother loved you with all her heart and soul, Elizabeth. Never doubt that she only thought she was doing what was best for you, and there was never any evil intent in her actions, only love.

I hope that the true story of your mother's death satisfies your inquiry, and that you will look no further into such gruesome things.

The best way to honor your mother's memory is to look forward instead of back.

Heed my Advice Elizabeth, for your own sake.

Margot T. Whittiger.

Lizzie finished the note stiffly and swallowed.

So that was the truth, her mother was sick just as she was.

Only in a different way.

No wonder her father couldn't face having her back, he couldn't go through that anguish again.

Lizzie didn't know how to feel about the information, it didn't change anything thing, but it answered several questions.

Such as why her father never spoke of her birth mother.

And why he had went absolutely catatonic when the doctors told him that his daughter was diagnosed with ASPD.

Before she could process this further she noticed an elderly-ish couple enter the ward, the woman with bright pink hair and a startling red slicker with a matching hat. The man was tall with balding yellow hair in a tawny suit and tie.

The man carried a fruit basket and set in on a rolling tray by Alex's bed while the young man still slept. Lizzie moved with a wince and sat on the edge of her hospital bed.

"He's still asleep." She informed them and the woman jumped a bit, startled by her voice.

The man looked up at her and was taken aback by her black and blue complexion which was slowly transferring to an even uglier blue purple and sickly green.

"But I'm sure he'll be up soon enough."

Lizzie pulled a chair up to the bed side and rested her feet on it. "You must be Mister and Missus DeLarge" She stated and they nodded, eyeing Alex.

"Lizzie Borden, nice to finally meet you." Her words were polite but she hadn't heard the best of things about them, so she was careful to make sure her tone wasn't all that friendly.

"You're the girl from the papers." Alex's mother realized and Lizzie nodded, raising her paper cup of water in a sort of salute.

"In the flesh"

The papers didn't cover Lizzie that much, mainly because they could get more of a story out of the boy that tried to kill himself then the girl who foolishly wandered into the streets. She was usually just a side note at the end of the article.

"Good Lord." Mr. DeLarge marveled, "they never said anything about you being hurt as well."

"Well, I'm afraid your son's story was more interesting." She shrugged and nodded "speaking of…" she craned her neck to grin at Alex, "Morning Sleeping Beauty."

Alexander grumbled and blinking in the light, "You know…I hate it… when you call me that." He breathed heavily and Lizzie smirked.

"Hey, if you hadn't told me you hated it I would have stopped by now." She pointed out, "anyway you have some guests."

The parents knelt down and Alex stared at them coldly.

"Hello, Lad." Mr. DeLarge began.

"Hello Son, how are you?" Mrs. DeLarge inquired in a tearful voice.

"Are you feeling any better?"

Alex's eyes didn't soften for a single second as his chest moved up and down steadily. "What gives…oh my P and Em?" He asked between breaths. "What… makes you think…you…are… welcome?"

Mrs. DeLarge started to cry and Lizzie reminded herself to scold him when they left.

"There, there mother It's alright. He doesn't mean it." The Father soothed his wife before turned back to his boy.

"You were in the papers again son, it said they had done great wrong to you and they say how the government drove you to try and…do yourself in."

Lizzie raised an eyebrow, that wasn't the exact logic behind it but she sure as hell wasn't going to correct anyone. The worse the government looked the better the two of them looked.

"And when you think about it son, maybe it was our fault to in a way." Mr. DeLarge swallowed, "your home's your home, when it's all said and done son."

They left after Alexander refused to acknowledge them and when they were gone Lizzie frowned and hissed at him to get his attention, "psst, psst!"

"Huh?"

"What the hell was that?" she demanded and Alex glanced in her direction.

"whatdaya mean?"

"Your own parents were just begging for your forgiveness, and you didn't even act like they were there." She crossed her arms. "Alex, like it or not they are your parents. And it's clear they love you."

"They feel guilty, that's not love. That's penitence." Alex grumbled and Lizzie rolled her eyes.

"Fine, but trust me when I say that if they died you would miss the hell out of them."

Alex smirked, "Am I supposed to slooshy parental soviet from the devotchka who took a hatchet to her mother?"

"Step-mother, and that was a different set of circumstances. She was a bitch who tried to convince my father to either put me out on the streets or send me to a reform school" Lizzie hissed, a little hurt that he would bring it up but had to agree it was a little ironic for her to be on this side of the argument.

"Meanwhile your parents genuinely seem to love you and care about you." She sighed. "Just… try. Alright? Trust me it'll make sense in the future."

Alex rolled his eyes, "so am I going to get to see you today?"

"No, but soon I think." Lizzie gazed at her reflection in the polished chrome on the bed frame as the doctor entered.

"Alex, I have good news." He announced, "By the afternoon you should be able to sit up without that cast on your head."

Lizzie paled, she had hoped he would be pinned down until she was mostly healed.

"Your head trauma seems to have made a remarkable recovery, and all you'll need is a neck brace."

"That's wonderful." Lizzie could positively hear him smirking, "isn't that wonderful Lizzie?"

"Yeah." Lizzie grumbled a bit as a team of doctors and nurse entered to transport him to a separate room to remove the head cast, "fantastic."

Alexander was gone and back within a few hours and in the time Lizzie had drawn the green plastic privacy curtain about her bed and pretended to be asleep with the sheet pulled over her head.

Alex waited until all the doctors and nurses were gone before smirking a little.

"I know you're not getting any spatchka back there Little Lizzie. Stop this nazz chepooka and just let me viddy your listo a second."

Lizzie didn't respond, convinced that if she didn't move or breathe he would think she was sleeping.

"You know…" Alex began, "for a devotcka who govereets so maturely, you're behaving very much like a malenky little child."

He knew that if he could goad her enough she would snap, it was just a matter of angles.

"How about odin rooker, even a finger. Just let me viddy one hand."

There was a pause and Alex watched as she reached one hand through the curtain and let it dangle there a moment before pulling it back.

"Happy?"

Alex was amazed by her, he knew girls went through phases where they felt down on themselves but he had never met a devotchka so vain that she would go to these lengths to keep someone from seeing her.

"It's bad enough the doctors and nurses have to see me like this, I don't want you to see me to." Lizzie growled and Alex shrugged a little.

"Would it make thee feel any better if I skazat I have no lovey-dove feelings for you at all?"

"Nor I you, that's not the issue here."

"Then what is?"

"The issue is I work hard on my appearance and I won't be satisfied until it's back to normal."

Alex thought, "you know, you never govereeted about what sloochated to you to put you in here."

"It's no big deal."

"If it wasn't a big deal you'd've let me viddy you by now" Alex pointed out and Lizzie sighed.

"Look, the doctor is coming in later to check my healing." she confessed, "You'll probably be able to see then"

Alex nodded and Lizzie returned to her book and read behind the curtain until a female doctor entered with Lizzie's chart.

"Good afternoon Miss Borden, Just come to check your progress again. Only a few more of these exams and you'll be fit to leave." She said cheerfully as Lizzie winced and began to remove her gown again.

"How're you feeling?"

"Better actually" Lizzie confessed, "still painful but all in all."

The doctor checked her arms and legs and nodded with satisfaction, "very good, if you could just get on the bed please?"

Lizzie nodded and sighed and the doctor examined the still gruesome bruising on her stomach and pelvis. "Hmmm, the bruising on your pelvis seemed to be healing a bit slower than usual, but it's probably just because of the impact it took. Have the medications been helping with the pain?"

"Yes."

"Good, I don't think you'll be needing any physical therapy, just a lot of rests and several cold compresses." The doctor motioned for her to roll on her back.

"Oh, we may have to do another X-ray on your lower back."

"Why?"

"Well, we misjudged the severity of the bruising on your buttocks and back and we may have to check for kidney bruising, nothing serious just to be safe." The doctor made note of this on her chart.

"Alright, you may redress in just a minute. Just one more thing to check." The doctor took Lizzie's head in bother her hands under her chin and tilted it from side to side, occasionally feeling a vertebrae or checking her scalp.

"The swelling around your face has gone down considerably, any neck pain?"

"No, none."

"Wonderful, I will check again in another few days and hopefully by then you will be healed enough to be discharged." Lizzie smiled at the thought and nodded.

"Thank you doctor."

"You're welcome, have a nice day Miss Borden."

The doctor left and Alex was positively dying from curiosity.

"Lizzie?"

The girl sighed loudly while buttoning up the gown. "Yes?"

"I verily feel I've been more than patient."

Lizzie groaned, conceding that he wouldn't let it go until he saw her so she slipped off the bed and stood behind the curtain.

"Alright just…Don't freak out."

"Please, I've never freaked out in my…Oh."

"Told you it was bad" She mumbled as he took in the sight of her, and not even the worst just the parts that the modest gown revealed so her neck, face and arms.

"It's not…that…bad." Alex said unconvincingly and Lizzie frowned deeply and the Blonde struggled to find any words to lighten the situation.

He had been expecting a swollen black eye, maybe some yellow and green bruising on her shoulders, or a broken arm. He wasn't prepared for such gruesome purple and blue splotches down her arms and on her face, and everywhere else he assumed.

"I, uh…what…what happened?"

"Nothing."
Alex raised an eyebrow, "Lizzie, you don't get that from nothing"

"Promise you won't laugh?"

Lizzie sighed and sat in the chair by his bed, "I was trying to chase down a car for help and a police car drove right past me, so I ran to try and get their attention, tripped into the road and got hit by a van."

Alex was silent for a minutes before pulling in his lips to stifle a chuckle.

"It's not funny"

"I know, I know, but… it's just after all the fussy-wuss you'd prod, I just messeled thou was being over dramatic. But now…" He chuckled sheepishly and glanced away. "I may or may not have produced something similar or otherwise akin to a mistake."

Lizzie smirked and accepted his, kinda sorta apology.

"But for what it's worth, at least you can googly around."

Lizzie leaned back with a smirk, "that does sort of make me feel better, thanks."