I don't own the Hetalia franchise

"D..do you want to get something to eat?" England asked.

He felt like he had to do something with his hands even though he was driving. He wanted to twiddle his thumbs or stuff them in his pocket or mess with the radio, but he felt like she was judging his every move and, with that, his driving.

Alice didn't answer. Instead she looked at the crammed buildings on the sides of the narrow road, the infamous rains of London coming down violently. The thin collar around her neck felt cold against her skin as did the collars around her wrists and her ankles. They also implanted a chip in her palm. They told her she wouldn't even know that it was there, but she could feel it vibrating softly. The only comfort she had was the feeling of her wand pressed against her thigh, hidden by thick stockings and a long dress.

It was a miracle they hadn't felt it during the pat down.

"Listen, I'm trying my best. Maybe if you told me a little about yourself we could maybe get along?"

She didn't look up from the window. "Don't try to be nice to me. I know what you're really like, and if you knew what I was really like and what I've done, then you'd kick me out of this car right now and leave me walking in the rain."

"Don't be daft! A gentleman would never leave a lady like that!"

"Hypocrite" she huffed.

"What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?"

She turned her head violently. "It means that you've done bullshit like that to me in the past!" Immediately she breathed in a short breath, trying to take back her words.

But they were gone, and now England had a base for a topic. She had to shut up now or else she might trigger a memory inside of him. She thought swiftly of the other two, hoping that they were keeping their traps shut too.

"I would never do something so preposterous! You're a crazy woman!"

Alice clutched her fist tight, trying to bite her tongue. She had to keep herself from lashing out as Francoise said. Francoise. God Alice hoped she was ok. She's too far to even project to like they had in the cells. Alice started thinking off a different tangent as England kept talking and talking about what good guy he was.

Alice thought about her almost useless wand, all the energy and power zapped right out of her and it. Francoise always told her that her powers didn't define her use, but Francoise didn't understand. She was nothing but a git, a loser, a pervert, a beautiful young woman who…

"Alice? Alice!" Alice shook her head and snapped out of her trance. England had stopped the car in front of his city flat.

She had started crying, and he was trying to console her with a flustered face and hovering hands. "Was it something I said? Damn it woman what's wrong?"

"It's nothing. It's fine. I'm fine. Just, please. Let me out I want to sleep these horrible last few hours off."

England slowly brought his hands back to his sides. "Um, sure?"

He opened the door for her. She glared him down as she got out of his rinky dink car. Rain pelted at her, her glasses fogging up. She followed England up the steps to his flat, just wanting to sleep and get away from him.

"Erm, I don't often have people over. Normally it's just my boss and every now and then France breaks in to mess with me." He's trying to fill the void of silence in between them while he fiddled with the front door.

"Bugger give me a second" he was getting more and more flustered until he dropped the key onto the ground.

"Oh for God's sake" Alice said.

She bent down and went to pick up the key, but when she did she felt his hand accidentally touch hers. She paused for a second and then quickly got back up and punched him in the arm. "Asshole! Clumsy, misogynistic, stupid asshole!"

"Oi what did I do?! That was all completely uncalled for you wench!"

"Wench?" She shouted. "Blundering moron shut up!" She kept hitting him over and over.

England and Alice started to bicker more and more. "Hey! You twats shut up and go inside or you'll catch a damn cold!" An angry woman had opened her window and was getting ready to throw one of her slippers at them.

"My apologies ma'am!" England stuck the key in the lock and opened the door.

"Well come on." He opened the door, but Alice refused.

"I don't want to spend God knows how long with the likes of you!"

"The more I listen to you the more I regret my choice to take you in! If you hate it so much then go live with that damned America! I never wanted any of this damn you!"

"Fine! I will!" Alice turned around and started walking into the rain.

"Fine!" England slammed the door shut.

"Good riddance. I'm not here to play host with anyone!" He huffed.

But then he paused with the realization that there were those trackers on her. She had no money, no way to get to America. And God damn it he wasn't about to soil his reputation with this.

Alice was walking in the rain down the road, her head and her temper hot. Typical Arthu…no, he's England now. He's the only England so there's no reason to use his human name. Alice could feel the trackers and collars, knowing she couldn't run. But she didn't want to stay in his home.

"Per favore! lasciala da sola! Monika!"

"Monika!" "Arrestare il suo male! Fermarla!"

Alice heard the voices in her head. With them came bursts of pain in her head. "Eugh!" She cried as she clutched her head and fell to the ground. "It hurts! It hurts!" She felt like her head was about to explode; she felt her stomach gurgling up, but nothing was in her to throw up.

She clutched at her head and at her stomach in the middle of the sidewalk in the rain. She went to grab her wand, but remembered that there was little to no power in her or it left. It was all used in one big go.

She knew what was happening. When this all began, she had established herself as the crisis signal. If any of the hidden nations were in danger of being found out or taken, she would be warned so she could do something. But the event had never happened before; she didn't know how painful it was. But why hadn't it hurt when they were captured? Maybe it was because she was a part of the group, but what if people were taken en masse? Would she die of this pain? Would it get better the more it had happened? She had to stop thinking.

She tried to get up, staggered a few steps, and fell backwards into someone's hands. "Are you alright?"

She looked up, but her vision was so blurred that she could only make two thick brows. "Monika…Feliciana…please…help." And with that she fell unconscious.

England carried her back to his flat and put her down on his green couch. He looked at her and almost felt this wash of comfort looking at her.

"A-Alice? Are you alright?" No answer.

"You're disgustingly wet" he remarked, her only reply being a settled breathing pattern.

"Are we really related?" He asked her, knowing there'd be no answer.

He wasn't about to change her out of her wet clothes, but she would catch something if she slept in those. What was he to do?

He looked at the length of her hair. It was so damn long! How could she keep up with it? He paused for a moment, and then went to touch it for some strange, familiar reason.

Alice was at his side sewing up a nasty rake in his arm, his uniform covered in blood and Lord knows what.

"I told you that their forces would be surrounding that area, but do you listen to me? No!"

"I had it under control!"

"And now more men are dead Arthur."

"Damn it woman know your place."

She glared up at him. "I know what I can do and I know what I'm doing!"

"You're meant for the tents and that's where you'll stay! You've already risked your own life numerous times out on the field."

"I can't die! I should be out there fighting alongside OUR countrymen."

"Do you want to see what happens to the women who try and take on a man's world?"

He got up and dragged her out of the tent to the outside field where the troops were piling wood up on a pile, a woman roped to a stake amidst it.

"What? What are you doing?" Alice looked at England, death in his eyes, rage in his heart.

"Teaching that damn frog a lesson."

"You monster! You damned monster!" Alice pushed him aside and ran to the wood pile.

"Stop this! By order of England I command you to stop this!" But the troops heard nothing, and lit the pile.

"No!" Alice screamed.

She looked up at the woman at the stake, and saw no fear. Alice felt her brother's hands keep her back when she tried to climb the pile to save the young French woman.

"God damn it stop this!" Alice tried to push Arthur away, but he held tight.

She looked up, hot tears going down her face. "I'm sorry" she tried to say, but it was choked by the smoke.

Alice knew this woman as the savior of the French. The ultimate scorn on The United Kingdom in their fight against the French, but Alice felt the cruelty excessive. She hated the French, and had escaped many times to fight alongside the troops, but this. This was…

"I hate you. I hate you!"

"This could very well be you if you're captured by them damn it."

She forced herself free from his grasp and ran to the blaze, but she could no longer look. She walked closer and felt her loose hair catch fire.

"Alice!" England once more pulled her away and patted away the wild burning of her hair.

But it was too late. It had burned to her shoulders; her long flowing hair burned the way this moment would be burned into her mind forever. She looked at her brother with a raged and wild look. "Get away from me! I hate you! I hate you!"

She ran, and she kept running, but she knew she would be found and taken back. Even though she was England, she would be forever shackled by her brother and history. She knew the history books would favor the men of war, never the women. She hated it all. She hated him. She hated the life she was forced to live, shackled.

England snapped out of his daze and took in a deep breath. He looked at Alice who was mumbling strained words. "Monika fight."

He felt the tears forming in his eyes. He remembered that day, but he had only recalled the raging fire.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry" he said, knowing more of these painful moments were to come.