Warning: Language, but I'm not upping the rating unless someone asks me to.

The last thing Oliver expected after staring down the barrel of the Walker girl's gun, was to wake up again. He had quite accepted the fact that he had miscalculated the extent of the girl's hatred for personifications. Had accepted that the game was over and only hoped that the information he had smuggled away with Flying Chocolate Bunny would help the others come out victorious.

But apparently he wasn't through yet.

"Well isn't this a surprising development." Oliver's lips curled upwards in a smile. Why wouldn't he? He wasn't dead, that left all sorts of possibilities available to him. Not the least of which was a chance to pick apart that girl with nation blood in her veins. And America's blood no less. Fascinating.

Fighting the heaviness of his body, Oliver pushed himself up to a sitting position and took in his surroundings. He was sitting on a small bed in what looked like a fairly spacious cell quartered off from an open room by a thick, transparent barrier. And standing in front of that wall, was the fledgling nation herself, with two other humans Oliver did not recognize standing on either side of her.

"Dr. Kirk, Dr. Lang, can you give us the room?" America's girl asked the other two. The two humans shared what looked like a concerned look behind their superior's back before agreeing. They made their way up a flight of stairs hugging a side wall into what looked like an observation room. Oliver watched them with an amused grin.

The island nation giggled and canted his head so he could gauge the girl's expression. "For a nation, you seem to like keeping the company of humans. Cute little things, aren't they?"

The blonde sneered at him and crossed her arms in an exceedingly stiff manner. Oliver quirked a brow at the clear bluff of calm. "I am not a nation."

Oliver huffed a laugh and took his time working his way to his feet. He ended up leaning heavily against a wall but still managed to stand. He took stock of the room outside of his own. It looked like there were a good amount of American soldiers spaced out just in the room he could see. Most likely there were plenty more he couldn't see as well. He shifted his focus back on Walker. "Now, we both know that's not true dear."

The girl's shoulders stiffened and she lifted her chin in a way that oozed defiance. Shame she was directing it in the wrong place. Oliver made his way to the front of his cell and lowered himself down to a sitting position with a sigh. Lilith glared down her nose at him. "I didn't bring you back to listen to you ramble off whatever thoughts come to your mind."

"Oh I think the fact that you brought me back at all means that you did." Oliver leaned back on the palms of his hands and smirked up at her. "After all, I'm afraid I'm not good for much else in here. And yet," he motioned between the two of them. "Here we are."

The American grimaced and walked off to the side for a moment before returning with a black folding chair. She set herself down in it and leaned forward on her denim clad knees. "I woke you up because I have questions. And you are going to answer them. Understand?"

Oliver pretended to contemplate her words for a moment and tapped his chin. "Can you ask me again in French? I've often found that far more persuasive."

Lilith took exception to that and punched the wall between them hard enough that Oliver could feel the vibrations in the ground beneath him. She was very strong indeed. So was the barrier too, incidentally. "Don't play games with me. I can always put a bullet back in your head if you'd prefer it."

The pink-haired Briton blinked up at her, not concerned in the least. "Sure you could." Oliver picked at a loose thread of his sweater vest with a frown. "But you won't. Clearly you need me, otherwise you would have never brought me back. Question is: What could you possibly want from me that you couldn't' get from Luciano? He is working with you lot, isn't he?"

Lilith took a deep, controlling breath. "Yes." Oliver accepted the concession with a nod and gestured for the blonde to continue. "What I want is to understand what's happening to me." She looked down at her hands and frowned. Oliver was intrigued watching the swirling confusion in the young woman's eyes. "I need to know what all these feelings and sensation are before…"

"Before you do something that can't be undone." Oliver finished for her. "Isn't that right?" The anxious expression blended with confusion on the blue-eyed blonde's face made her look so much like Alfred that Oliver couldn't help but smile. She was an interesting blend. Her features were clearly more similar to the America of Earth, but her attitude and temper reminded him more of Alexander. "Don't look so surprised dearie, I skimmed a good deal of those top secret files of yours before I was interrupted. I know what your brother did to you."

Lilith narrowed her eyes at him. "Regardless, yes. I want my questions answered before I meet back up with Seth. And Luciano can go fuck himself for all I care. I would not ask that untrustworthy weasel anything about being a nation."

"So your immediate impulse is to then ask me? Dear, you do realize I kill people, bake them into pastries, and then eat them on a fairly regular basis, yeah?" Lilith returned Oliver's remark with a deadpan stare. "Wow. Okay then, carry on. What exactly have you felt? I'll admit I'm rather curious."

Lilith blinked a few times in confusion. "After all that earlier you're just going to answer me?"

Oliver shrugged. "Why not?"

The American shook her head and ran a hand through her hair in frustration before deciding to move on. "Alright then. We already know about your proportional strength and why you don't age. That your physical bodies actually consist of the landmasses on which the country rests and that you heal at exponential rates. But that doesn't explain why I can literally feel when one of you is in the room."

Oliver tilted his head and shrugged. "Instinct. We are territorial creatures by nature. It's prudent for us to recognize an invading force. In close proximity, say the length of a room, we can sense one another like planets reacting to each other's gravitational pull." Lilith nodded, a fierce look of concentration on her face and Oliver could tell she was hanging onto every word. "Now, my turn."

"Excuse me?"

"Yes. If I'm going to answer your questions I should get to ask my own, don't you think?"

Lilith gave a dry laugh and lifted a skeptical brow at the island nation before her. "And why should I answer any of your questions?"

Oliver smirked. "Because the rest of what comes of my mouth from this point on could be either the truth or a very convincing assortment of lies, and you are woefully unprepared to tell the difference."

Lilith's face took on an interesting shade of red and Oliver would not have been entirely surprised if steam didn't start pouring from her ears. "If you want to be difficult, I have other ways of getting what I want out of you. And they'll be far less pleasant." Ooh, going straight to the nasty threats. Oliver wondered if her short fuse was just her natural temperament or because of a time constriction. If it was the former, it would prove difficult to get things to go his way. If the latter, then it would be relatively easy to force Lilith to compromise.

Oliver beamed up at the irate woman before him. "If you want to play dearie, I'm all for it." He felt his eyes blossom with pink and preened at the way Lilith visibly cringed in response. "But I'll win. I've faced players far more experienced in the game than you, and I've beaten each and every one of them. So if you want to try your hand be my guest. But if you want answers, you will follow my rules."

Oliver could not have had a better view of watching the defeat melt into Lilith's expression. Lilith held her ground for only a moment before she caved. "What could you possibly want to know?" So time constriction it was. Lilith took on a guarded expression, and crossed her arms and legs where she sat.

"Why do you hate nations so much?" Oliver crossed his legs and leaned his elbows on his knees. "What did Alfred do to you?"

"I don't like this Emily." Valfiore paced the observation room back and forth while Emily stayed stationary near the large front window. "This guy is way too relaxed."

Emily shrugged, though her concentration didn't waver from watching Lilith and the nation converse. "He doesn't seem the type to panic. If you thought you were going to die, and then didn't, I'd bet you'd be pretty happy about it too."

Val stopped her frantic pacing and stepped up beside her friend. "At least he's cooperating," she conceded.

Emily frowned. "If anything, that, is what has me concerned."

"Why?"

"What could he possibly gain from it?" Emily waved towards the Lilith and the personification down below. "Why would he willingly tell Lilith about all the new things she can do? He has to know he's never leaving here alive. He may look like a walking baby shower, but I don't think he's stupid."

Val pondered that for a moment. "Maybe he thinks he can convince her to switch sides? If she really is like them now, he might think she'll forget how much she hates Mr. Jones and the rest of them."

Emily laughed at the very thought of her friend ever reconciling with the national personifications and Valfiore returned it in full force. "Right. Like that could ever happen."

Lilith didn't answer Oliver for a long time. She felt her vision glaze over as she became lost in a memory, and only when she managed to come back to herself did she meet his eyes once again and speak. "You want to know why I hate him? Why I hate all of you?"

"That would be nice. Yes." Lilith sent the nation in front of her a glare. "You've been dead for years in the world I come from so it's rather hard to make a direct comparison of motivation."

Lilith looked surprisingly unperturbed by the knowledge that an alternate version of herself was dead. Instead she went on as if Oliver had simply commented on the weather. "I hate personifications because you don't care." She turned her attention slightly away, though Oliver could see the slight darkening in her eyes. "Not about humans, not about maintaining the greater good. You perpetuate conflict and completely disregard the consequences of your actions. And I think it's about time you all suffered for them."

Oliver nodded his head. "I see. And frankly, if you were talking about me and the nations from Otherworld I would say you have a point. But trust me, if anything the personifications of this world care too much. You should consider yourselves lucky."

Lilith scoffed. "Trust me, they are no better than you. In fact, they're worse because they are incapable of even acknowledging their faults." Oliver's tiny smile dwindled away and a crease formed between his eyebrows. He tilted his head in confusion. "They think they deserve praise for cleaning up their own messes. No matter what those messes might have cost everyone else."

~28 years ago

In a dimly lit hotel bar a group of young men stood crowded around a single booth tucked away from the rest of the hotel guests spread throughout the large dining area. Most of the ensemble appeared completely nondescript, except for the fact that not a single pair was of the same nationality. Yet one would find as they investigated closer that those nearer to the center of the group were in different stages of undress.

With the second of the biannual G8 Summit meetings due to take place the following day, the nations had decided to arrive early and take the night off to enjoy one another's company. This of course, resulted in several requests of drinking and other forms of debauchery. Not the least of which included a suggestion of drunken streaking across the city. Of course, as this would not have been the best of choices, a compromise was made to instead have a round of strip poker at the in-house bar.

While most participants had decided to pull out after losing shirts and belts, a few -like France- had to be forced to leave the table after appearing quite willing and eager to drop his boxers and continue. Now, as night was nearing its end and dawn making its shy approach, only two remained.

"Give it up amigo, he has the Devil's luck." England couldn't help but allow the corner of his carefully constructed smirk twitch up in genuine mirth as he listened to his old nemesis grumble. From the corner of his eye, he could easily see the curly-haired Spaniard. Antonio sat to his left, arms crossed over the table and pinning him with a dark frown.

"Now, now Antoine we should have faith in our dear Allemagne," a voice, from the right this time called out. Two sets of green eyes swerved to observe the blond and mostly naked Frenchman who was peering over the shoulder of the tall German sitting directly opposite of the decidedly scrawnier Englishman. France's eyes glanced over the cards his fellow blond held in his hands before grinning back towards his island neighbor. Arthur raised a single dark brow in response but made no other change in expression.

"Any time you want to put your clothes back on Frog," he calmly suggested.

All around the other attendees of the summit were quietly mumbling their input on the current showdown. The island nation had removed both his uniform jacket, tie, and undershirt, leaving only a white, unbuttoned dress shirt over his top half. The German on the other hand, had long since discarded his own jacket, shirt, and belt. Leaving only his white wife beater and loosened pants. The two blonds eyed each other carefully.

China, Russia, Italy Veneziano, and Italy Romano were all perched near the German's back, eyeing the cards in his hand along with France. Trying with steadily increasing focus to decide whether or not it would be enough.

"Doing alright over there mate? You look a bit stressed," England offered with mock concern. The golden-haired Briton had been careful in picking his seat. With back to the wall of the bar no one in the room could see the cards in his hand but himself. And he would make sure it remained that way.

Germany noticeably flinched. He was sweating from head to toe and his electric blue eyes kept flickering from the cards in his hands to the smirking Englishman before him. He ground his teeth together in frustration as he tried to decide what to do.

"He can't win, aru." China frowned, shaking his head towards Germany, whose shoulders stiffened even further at the unwanted comment.

"Now Yao, little England might be bluffing da?" Russia leaned down between the two blonds and fixed a creepy, inquisitive stare at the Englishman. Arthur's expression did not change, but he did lean back and away from Ivan's unnerving smile just the slightest bit.

"I don't bluff Ivan," he assured.

The Russian probably would have continued his intimidation campaign to get the island nation to give a clue as to the quality of his hand but was stopped. A hand gripped the taller man by the back of his scarf and pulled him away. "Ever heard of personal space Ivan?" Alfred scolded.

Ivan huffed in amusement. "Just trying to make things interesting Fredka," he argued with a deceptively innocent tone. The American did not seem convinced.

Alfred directed a skeptical look towards his Russian rival. "Uh huh. Sure." That settled, the nations turned back towards England and Germany to wait and see what the younger nation would do.

"Any day now Ludwig," Arthur encouraged, smirk growing just the slightest bit and going so far as to let his free arm casually drape across the back of the booth.

Germany sent the other nation a silent glare before turning back to look at his cards a final time and throwing them down. "There! A flush!" The nations crowded forward a little to see what Ludwig had ended up with and indeed he had lined up the King and Jack of Hearts, followed by the seven, four, and two. Again, all hearts.

Heads swiveled to England who, for a moment, didn't move a muscle. "It's not a bad hand," France observed, glancing down at the German's cards one more time before looking back up.

Slowly, the Englishman's lips twitched up to a truly predatory smirk before letting his cards fall. "Too bad." England kept his tone consoling as he sat back against the booth. "Royal flush. I win." The nations gaped and Spain dove forward to gather the blond's fallen cards to confirm. In his hands were the Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and ten of Spades. Automatic win.

Germany groaned and let his head connect with the surface of the table. Arthur laughed and pat the other man on the shoulder. "Ah, don't feel too bad about it."

The Brit moved to retract his arm but was stopped when another hand reached out to snatch his wrist. "Not so fast. You must have cheated," Antonio growled, grip tight.

Arthur's eyes narrowed and he lashed out with his right hand to grab the Spaniard by the lapels and pull him closer. "You want to say that again Spaniard?"

Suspicion fueled by copious amounts of alcohol filled Antonio's eyes. "I said. You. Cheated."

"I don't cheat."

"Ha!" Spain pushed himself away from the shorter man and drew himself up to full height. "That's all you know how to do. That or use your devil worship to pull victory out of thin air!"

Arthur rolled his eyes and turned his back on the other man. "Oh for the love of-! Bloody hell, let it go Spain. It was nearly five hundred years ago!"

"Um, guys maybe we should all just calm down." Somewhere in the back, Matthew tried to make a meek objection to the building tension but went completely ignored.

Antonio stepped forward like a bull about to charge. "There was no way you should have beaten my Armada!"

"Espagne, maybe you should sit down." At this point France too, seemed to be getting a bit nervous and placed a placating hand on his Spanish friend's shoulder. Antonio lunged away from the touch.

"Oh boo hoo. I'm Spain and big bad England sunk my battleship. So much for Empire of the Sun!" the Englishman mocked.

Something in Spain snapped.

With a roar of outrage, Antonio lunged forward and threw a punch across the Englishman's face. Arthur stumbled back, momentarily stunned before snarling as well and launching himself at the Mediterranean nation, leaving the pair rolling around on the floor punching and kicking.

"Awesome! Bar fight!" Prussia picked up a half empty beer bottle and flung it in Russia's direction. He then ducked behind America when the imposing giant of a nation turned to see who had soaked his scarf.

His little smile turned sinister when he saw the American. "That was very stupid America. Brave," he conceded. "But stupid." Ivan started stalking towards the younger superpower.

Alfred jumped to attention at the Russian's words. "Woah, wait what? You want to go? Alright then, let's do this commie!" America and Russia starting their own fight ruined any attempts at bringing the situation under control and the room descended into chaos. It was an inevitability every time the nations got together and there happened to be alcohol involved. Or even without alcohol really. The only one with any sense left besides the Italy twins who were cowering in a corner and Japan and Canada who were ineffectively trying to coax the other nations into calming down, was Germany. He was preoccupied trying to keep Feliciano and Lovino from becoming collateral damage in what was now a three-way fight between Spain, France, and England.

No one noticed a human girl, no older than ten or so, wander towards the entrance of the bar, drawn by the noise. She watched as the remaining humans in the room fled in the wake of the destruction left behind by a group of young men. She watched an American dressed in an old looking jacket throw a taller, pale haired man over the bar counter and into a shelf of expensive looking bottles. Their contents shattered and spilled along the walls and floors.

The young American laughed proudly and vaulted over the table to continue his assault but was cut off as the pale Russian tackled him to the ground. The two rolled along the ground for some time until the American was able to pull himself away and backed up against the nearest wall, his face cut in several places and blood dripping from his nose. His back hit a water pipe connecting from the floor to ceiling. "Huh?" the blond seemed confused as he took in the pipe and then grinned. "Hey Ivan!" the Russian stumbled to his feet, wiping blood from a cut on his forehead. "Get a load of this!" The American turned and grabbed the pipe with both hands before ripping it from the wall to brandish like a bat against the Russian.

The girl gasped as she watched water begin to gush from the destroyed pipeline and mix with the spilled alcohol as it soaked the floors. She stumbled back as she watched these men attack each other like wild animals, all the while laughing as if it were nothing but a game. They were like monsters.

After landing a hard blow with the pipe against the Russian's shoulder, the American laughed and tossed his makeshift weapon aside where it crashed against the wall, splashing water and alcohol against an open outlet.

The outlet sparked.

And the room erupted in flame.

Lilith leaned back in her small folding chair and lifted a hand to her side, thumb brushing the skin where her burn scar used to be. It had disappeared when she had gotten her new look. By the shift in the English personification's focus, the reaction didn't go unnoticed. "The fire spread so fast that my family and I couldn't get out before the building started collapsing. My parents were trapped and I got pinned trying to get them out." A bitter smile stretched across Lilith's cheeks. "Then lo and behold, the one who started it all came to rescue me. Alfred -Fucking- Jones."

Oliver was looking at her with an odd expression. Half amusement, half disbelief. "I take it your parents didn't make it."

Lilith's eyes darkened and her stroking touch turned into a clawing hold of her side. "I told him to go back. But he wouldn't listen." Her face twisted in rage and disgust. "I think he was trying to reassure me. Saying it was okay, that I was safe. That he was a 'hero'. I don't think he ever realized I knew he had started it. Him and the others."

"So you hate them because your parents died? Seems an awfully personal reason to commit genocide."

"No. In fact I didn't even overly resent him until two decades later. What happened that day was the reason I joined the military. Why Seth pursued politics. To protect people who suffered for the actions of others. For justice." Lilith sneered. "Then imagine our surprise on the day of my brother's inauguration when we learned that everything we had worked for was absolutely meaningless. Because the man who's wrongs had inspired us to preserve the integrity of the nation we love, was actually the nation itself. So no. I'm not doing this for personal vengeance. I'm going to help remove personifications from the equation because your kind are irresponsible and dangerous and will never change."

"Our kind dear."

Lilith shot the pink-haired man in front of her a glare. "Regardless, it's my turn again."

"Fine," Oliver relented with a careless shrug. "What else have you felt?"

"Temperature fluctuations that can occasionally get severe." Rolling up the right sleeve of her flight jacket, Lilith exposed the crook of her elbow where a blotch of skin had turned a slight shade of pink indicative of minor burns.

Oliver studied the small wound with slight amusement. "Well, I'm not particularly familiar with the geography of America's body. I assume you're aware that different areas of the body equate to different states, cities, landmarks, et cetera?" Lilith nodded. "It looks like whatever area that's represented by your right elbow is probably going to suffer a drought it the near future."

Lilith blinked down at the burn, then her head shot up, eyes wide at Oliver. The Englishman tilted his head.

"What?"

"It's an early warning system," Lilith gasped.

"Yes. Why? Didn't you know?"

Lilith shook her head. "No I didn't." She was eager now. Alfred had never been the best with communicating his personification insights with the government aside from his input in foreign affairs and the occasional complaint when he caught a cold from a recession. "Is it just natural phenomena? Or are there reactions for human events as well?" Shootings, terrorist attacks, riots that could turn violent. If Lilith could somehow know those things were going to happen before they did, so many lives could be saved.

Unfortunately, the shake of Oliver's head undermined her excitement before it could get away from her. "Not before it happens, no. That only happens with natural events. Human activity is more of a simultaneous reaction, or a slightly delayed one."

Lilith's excitement dwindled back down and she crossed her arms in what probably looked suspiciously like a pout. "Fine," she conceded. At least it could be used to send out immediate response teams.

Oliver giggled. "You really are quite like Alfred and Alexander." Lilith glared in return. She didn't particularly care if she looked like Jones did. She would not accept being compared to him. The other nation seemed to recognize her disapproval and backpedaled quickly enough. "Don't take offense dear I'm just observing that you share many traits as 'America'" he said, raising his hands in surrender. "You're eager, for the most part well-meaning, and dreadfully optimistic on occasion."

Lilith didn't quite accept the gesture, but still didn't feel like he was lying. That little part of her mind that had taken her visions to heart was still urging her to trust this man. Eventually, the competing sensations of hatred, distrust, and curiosity became overwhelming and she finally decided to simply ask.

"Why do I want to trust you?"

Oliver's eyes widened in innocent confusion. "Pardon?"

Lilith narrowed her eyes. "Before I had you revived, I saw things. A memory, I think of a boy standing over you with a knife. You called him America and told him you would tell him everything." Oliver seemed surprised at that. He got to his feet and stood as close to the barrier between them as he could.

"That was how Alexander and I first met."

Lilith stood as well. "Then why did I see it?"

For one of those rare moments it seemed Lilith was seeing an unfiltered expression on the English nation's face. His grin was gone, replaced by careful calculation. "Collective memory I expect."

"Collective memory?"

Oliver nodded. "A pool of shared knowledge. America existed long before you did after all. I suppose whatever visions you saw was your body trying to catch up on what you've missed. Tell you what you need to know." Lilith contemplated that for a moment but her thought process was cut off when Oliver abruptly continued. "By the way, I've been contemplating what to call you."

"Okay, that was completely out of left-field." Lilith's mind went momentarily blank. "My name is Lilith."

Oliver flapped his hand and dismissed the American's protests. "No, the name doesn't suit you." Oliver crossed one arm and propped his chin on the back of his fist. "That was the name of a human. But you're not a human anymore. Are you?"

Lilith glared across the barrier at the smirking nation. She could tell he was waiting for her to answer. He would have to wait a long time. She would never say the words he wanted out loud. Even if she may have already accepted them in her mind. "You've said as much multiple times."

Oliver pouted. "Boring. You're no fun darling. But if you're not willing to say it, I will. Lilith was a human. You, are a nation. And seeing as I'm the one teaching you about what that means, I get to name you. How about Amelia?"

Lilith looked on, unimpressed. "Amelia?" She worked hard not to react, but inside something in her resonated with the name.

The island nation smiled and nodded his head. "Yes. I like it. Amelia."

"This is stupid and it makes no sense."

Oliver laughed, eyes manic. "Of course it doesn't. You and I are essentially walking projections of geographical landmasses divided by political and cultural barriers. It's not supposed to make sense!" Lilith recoiled at the sudden barrage of chastisement. "You want to know what being a nation means? We were never meant to be poster boys for human agendas. We often forget but we are meant to be the mouthpieces of the earth. The mirror to reflect for humanity the reality of the land and culture they have shaped. So if your brother and his little band of whining children dislike what we are, perhaps they should do something about the traits they are reflecting upon us."

Lilith felt her lip curl in a snarl. "So you think it's our fault!"

Oliver smirked. "I didn't say you. I said humans." Lilith's face darkened a few shades of red. "Our job isn't to make everything better like we're some kind of fairy godmother. We step in when we need to. When humans are either unwilling or incapable of doing what needs to be done to keep the country safe. Not to preserve your individual happiness and frankly insignificant little family units."

"Are you suggesting I shouldn't hold the nations responsible for the deaths of forty humans, including my parents, in a fire they started while drunk before a meeting because it wasn't an incident of national importance?" Lilith gaped at the nation in front of her, fingers twitching to put a bullet right back between his eyes.

Oliver shook his head, expression tired, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine. Hold them responsible. I don't really care. The more important point is that your brother is looking to remove personifications from the world. That cannot happen."

Lilith frowned. "I don't understand."

"I'm saying that whatever good you think you're going to accomplish by getting this justice of yours is not what the end result will be. Personifications exist for a reason. We fulfill a purpose as symbols and manifestations of the land and people under our protection. And however ill-fit you may find us to fill that role, it cannot be left empty." Lilith thought to the brief explosion in emigration from England following her attack on the nation before her and how it appeared they had all lost any urge to remain. The phenomena had only ceased when she had revived him. "You need to understand that because the time is going to come, Amelia when you're going to have to make a choice. Between this self-destructive crusade your brother is on, and what you know, as a nation, needs to happen."

Lilith shook her head. She pulled the glasses from her face and buried her head in one of her hands. "He's my brother. I've followed him this far, I'm not going to stop now."

Oliver sighed and leaned forward until his nose nearly brushed against the glass. He lifted a hand and tapped at the wall until Lilith looked back up and faced him. "And as long as you allow that fact to hold you back, your brother will always control you. He will always own you."

Lilith reeled back with a sneer. "And how would you know?"

The older nation leaned up against the side of his cell and his grin softened into a faraway smile. "Because I used to be on the opposite side of that struggle." Well, Lilith surmised. She had kind of walked into that one. "Alexander was able to do what needed to be done. And Alfred was as well. The question is if you will be able to do the same."

Lilith stood to her feet, a look of righteous anger in her eyes that darkened the sky blue nearly to their original navy. "This is not the same."

Oliver smirked up at her with an overwhelming condescension and Lilith had to turn her back before she did something incredibly stupid. "Isn't it? Your brother has his grand ambition of glory and conquest. And not just against personifications, I promise you that. And as his greatest asset he will never let you go. He turned you into the thing he knew you hate most just so he would have a weapon to fight us with."

"No." Lilith stared down at her hands. "He did it to save me." Even she didn't quite fully believe that.

"Keep telling yourself that darling. But if it makes it any easier to actually acknowledge the truth, he's not really your brother anymore."

Lilith seethed. She couldn't listen to this anymore. "We're done here."

"Amelia-." Lilith rounded on the nation like a cornered animal.

"NO! I, am Lilith Walker and I will not be manipulated by some psychopathic madman with pink hair and a blood fetish!" Oliver didn't flinch at her anger. He simply turned around and ambled his way closer to the center of his cell.

"You can't run from this Amelia. You're one of us now. And I know you won't let us down. America never has." Oliver stopped, cocked his head, and thought about that for a moment. "At least not on something of this magnitude," he amended.

"Lilith." Both nations turned and looked up to see the two of Lilith's human friends return from the observation room they had run off to.

Lilith looked up and marginally relaxed at their presence. "What is it?"

The blonde human spoke first. "It's Drago." Lilith stiffened at the name and Oliver could see the dangerous tension running through the young nation's limbs. It would be better, he thought, if she just simply killed the man and ended it. The release of stress would be good for her. "He called and is asking for you."

"He says it's important," the shorter of the two tacked on. "We figured we'd tell you before he thinks of coming here. Wouldn't want him to know about-," she nodded in Oliver's direction without looking at him.

Oliver didn't try to suppress a giggle. "Am I your dirty little secret?" he asked with giddy excitement. It looked like little Amelia was already exercising her tendencies for rebellion.

The three women didn't respond other to glare at him before Lilith sighed and turned to leave. "Alright fine. Emily come with me and Val, keep an eye on him," she jerked a thumb over her shoulder at Oliver. The pink-haired nation huffed while the Asian woman's face pinched in distaste.

"Fine. Just be back quick." Lilith nodded and left with the other human, Emily, Oliver corrected himself, following close behind. This left Oliver and Val alone.

Valfiore sat across the barrier from the English personification and began drumming her fingers against her crossed arms. She didn't speak until the sounds of Lilith and Emily's departure had long faded. "So is Lilith really one of you now?"

Oliver smiled, teeth on full display. "She is… absolutely singular" he admitted, pink swirling a bit in his eyes.

The Asian woman cocked an eyebrow at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"She's America. A young, ungrounded America. But America nonetheless. It will be interesting to see how she develops in the near future."

Val frowned across the barrier at Oliver. "She doesn't need to do any developing. She's a grown woman."

Oliver giggled and waved his hand in dismissal. "Perhaps by your human standards, but trust me, she is an infant in terms of nations."

"Is that why you were so willing to talk to her? I would have thought you'd be reluctant. Given, well… you know." Val gestured to the barrier and Oliver's cell beyond.

Oliver shook his head, smile only growing as he did so. "No. Call it nostalgia but I couldn't help it. She's a young America after all. What kind of England would I be if I didn't help her along?"

A door slammed in the distance and an echo of footsteps heralded Lilith's return. The young blonde looked furious, though a spark of anxiety was not missed by the older nation. None of the room's occupants spoke until she reached the human and nation waiting for her. "Seth wants me back at the base. Now." She pulled a handgun from her side and slid in a magazine Oliver would bet was filled with nation-killing bullets. "I have to go." She turned and faced Oliver directly. "You'll probably be dead soon. But regardless… I suppose I should thank you."

Oliver tilted his head with a confused pout. "Whatever for?"

Lilith rolled her eyes and holstered her weapon. "For telling me about personifications. It was enlightening to say the least."

Oliver smiled wide and nodded his head. "It was all for my benefit. Trust me." Lilith frowned and tried to read his expression for a moment, but Oliver knew she wouldn't be able to. And in no time at all she simply shook her head and left with her doctor friend on her heels. Once alone, Oliver turned and made himself comfortable on the small bed in the room. "I've done all I can boys," he muttered to himself. "Up to you now."

A/N: Sorry this kind of sucks but I am so done with this chapter. So here's a recap:

So for those of you who have wanted to know for the longest time why Lilith was so angry, it's because the nations were acting stupid and started a fire that killed her parents. And as for why she blames America more than the rest, it was because he is both the country she has spent her whole life fighting for and also the face of the event that ruined her life. She's been forced to work closely with him for the last eight years and has come to the conclusion that he and the others learned nothing from the experience. For her it was life-altering and for them it was just something unfortunate that happened at a meeting.

Oliver's position was basically that yes, the nations suck and can be horribly irresponsible but that doesn't mean the world doesn't need them. It might not be fair but it's true. And since she's one of them now she should just accept it and realize that getting rid of them is a horrible idea. And yes, she is basically the same as a Fem!America now.

Next time: Nations vs. Humans Part 1