Disclaimer: I own nothing of Hamilton.

In the early hours of the morning, his father had finished packing his things and went out of the front door, slamming it behind him as he went. Alexander let out a quiet sigh of relief. His father would be gone for two months. Two glorious months. Two months where there wouldn't be fighting or scolding, or just his cold presence. He knew that some of his colleagues were escorting him to the train station in their car, where he would take a train to Austria. Alexander prayed that he would stay away for good.

In the morning, Alexander walked to kitchen to find his mother sitting at the kitchen table, reading her novel. Her thin-rimmed spectacles were pushed down almost to the tip of her nose, and her hair was in its usual rolled style upon her head. Alexander had always known that his mother was quite beautiful. When she had come to his school in the car to pick him up most days, he could see the stares of multiple men's eyes upon her. Some would try to talk to her as she sat in the car waiting for him. If and when he would walk out of the school building and see a strange man talking to her, his blood would boil. His incredibly juvenile and rude classmates would jeer at him and taunt him about his mother's many admirers.

"Alex, who did your mother bring home last night?"

"What a nice outfit your mother's wearing today, Alex. I see someone who likes it."

"What's it like having a whore as a mother, Alex?"

He had been able to keep his rage in check. Most of the time. He had been suspended from school on a number of occasions. His father would almost beat him to death every time. His father would somehow find a way to blame his wife for his son's behaviour.

"He obviously gets it from you, Rachel! How can you continue to allow him to act like this?"

"I'm sorry, I-I'll try harder, James."

"Enough with the excuses!"

"I'm truly sorry—"

He shivered, remembering. His mother looked up when she heard him enter. "Hello darling." She gave him a small smile, but it was laced with traces of confusion. "Where's Eliza?"

Alexander was puzzled. "What do you mean?" Had his mother forgotten that Eliza had always remained in the mill?

"Did you not bring her in last night? Your father is gone for now."

"Oh. I didn't really think of bringing her in, to be honest." He said sheepishly.

"So she's been freezing in that damned mill all night?" She said, standing up and making her way towards the door. "I will never understand the ignorance of some men." She said quietly as she walked towards the mill.

Eliza knew that she looked terrible. She had not been able to get to sleep after the horrible nightmare she'd had. Every time she had closed her eyes, she had just seen his face. Her eyes felt dry and bloodshot. Her hair was sticking up everywhere due to her tossing and turning. And she knew, for a fact, that she smelled revolting. She had not been able to bathe in a week, at least. Normally, she could bathe every few days due to Mr. Hamilton being at work during the day. But since he had been home during the day in the last week preparing for his business trip, she had been unable to go inside the house. She turned to her makeshift bed of blankets and started to tidy them. She was halfway finished with her job when she heard the door creak open slightly. She froze in fear, scared stiff. She knew that Mr. Hamilton was leaving today. Had he come to check on something in the mill? Eliza hoped that if she stayed still enough, he would look right through her.

"Eliza?" A soft voice said tentatively, and a warm, familiar face came into her view.

Eliza relaxed. "Rachel! And ran to hug her. Just before she came to close, though, she remembered herself and stopped. "Oh, I probably shouldn't hug you." She said embarrassed, casting her gaze down on the floor. "It has been quite a while since I've washed."

Rachel only smiled and shook her head. "Eliza, dear, you're forgetting that I raised Alexander. If I can hug him, I can hug anyone." She said, chuckling. Eliza smiled shyly and put her arms around her.

"Now, since my husband has left on his trip for a period, you shouldn't be staying in this drafty tin can! Come dear, we'll get you washed up and find a place for you to stay inside." Rachel grabbed Eliza's hand and began to pull her out of the mill.

"A-Are you sure?" Eliza stammered. "I mean, I'm perfectly fine just staying where I am, I wouldn't want to impose or inconvenience you…" She babbled on.

Rachel dismissed her with the shake of a hand. "Hush now. My house is your house."

Eliza stepped out of the mill and into the dull gray light. She blinked, wishing for her eyes to adjust faster to the light.

When they entered the house Eliza saw Alexander sitting at the table in the kitchen eating porridge for his breakfast. She flushed deep red when he saw her come in. He smiled gently at her. What he must have thought to see her like this! She walked faster to the bathroom to hide her face from his wide eyes.

The feeling of sinking into the tub filled with warm water calmed Eliza's whole body. She didn't let herself think, or process of calculate. She just willed her mind to be silent. The warmth drove out the chill that had been resting since last night.

Next to her, on a stool, Rachel was sorting her blankets and clothes into baskets to be washed. Despite her inner self screaming at her to just relax, not to think, she was curious about one thing.

"Rachel? Forgive me, but I've seemed to have lost track of the day. What's the date?"

Without pausing her job to look up, Rachel calmly answered. "February twentieth, dear."

Eliza froze, then remembered herself. She took a shaky breath and let out an almost inaudible, "Thank you."

February twentieth. Angelica's birthday.

Alexander wanted to make today special for Eliza. She could finally stay in the house with them and he wanted her to be happy. He sat at his desk in his room waiting for her to be done washing and dressing. To pass the time he decided to write. These thoughts had been clamoring about in his headfor months on end, and he needed to put them down.

I've realized, that if Eliza is happy, I am happy. When she's upset, I feel it too. When she's upset I want her to know that I care. She's unlike anyone that I've ever met. Intelligent, funny, charming, kind, and I could go on and on about the little things that make her who she is. The way that when she laughs, the corners of her eyes crinkle. She's so breathtakingly beautiful when she lets her guard down and isn't so reserved. When she's telling me something of her past, it's like she's really in that time. She becomes so animated and when she smiles at me, and it makes my heart flutter. I've never experienced that with anyone before. She makes me feel so alive. When she talks of her passions in medicine and health she becomes so serious. She inspires me to be better. I often wonder, how can someone who's been through so much still put on a happy face? I know that behind that mask that she constantly wears, she's hurting. When I see her cry, I just want to take her in my arms to ease her pain. I so desperately wish that I could take on some of her pain, because she carries too much pain with her every day. I wish that I could tell her how I feel, but I'm so afraid that she doesn't feel the same way about me. I can't be so arrogant to believe that someone as selfless and caring as her could ever feel that way about someone like me. In truth, no matter how much I wish I could be for her, the truth is I just want her to be happy. The truth is, I lov

A knock sounded at his door, and he jumped, stuffing the notebook into a backpack. "Uh, come in." He said in a small voice.

Eliza stepped into the room, smiling. Her hair had been pulled up into a half-up half-down hairstyle. She was wearing a simple light blue dress. "Hi! How did you sleep?" She said warmly.

He gave her a small smile in return. "Not very well," he admitted. "It was incredibly cold. I felt so sorry for you. Did you sleep okay? Any nightmares?" He said sincerely. He knew of Eliza's tendencies to have nightmares when she was alone.

"Oh, the cold is nothing I can't handle. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for the Dutch textbook you lent to me. I've always wanted to learn how to speak Dutch!" She gushed.

"Don't think anything of it. All of the books on my shelf are just collecting dust anyway." He shrugged. He noticed that she had ignored the second part of his question. Before he could pry though, she spoke.

"So are we doing anything exciting today?" She said, smiling. "Board games? Or a craft?" She asked stressing the word, knowing much he hated meticulous tasks like crafts.

He smiled sheepishly. "Actually, I had something very exciting in mind."

"Do tell."

"Well, my mother is taking the bus to the market today, and she'll likely be gone for a few hours. So I was thinking, how about we go on a drive?"

"What?" Eliza exclaimed, her eyes wide. She didn't even know they had a car. "But Alex, going out in public… Some people might still be looking for me! What if someone sees me, and then they see you! I could ruin your whole family's lives!"

"Eliza, calm down." He reassured her. "Almost no one lives out here. And if they see you, what are the chances that they're going to know that it's you?" He said calmly, taking her hand. "Just think about it! You and me, on the open road!" He smiled at her. "It would only be for half an hour." He pleaded. "Come on, Eliza."

She pursed her lips, thinking about it. Finally she gave a long sigh of defeat. "Alright, fine."

He cheered, quite loudly.

She put a finger to his lips. "Shh! Only for half an hour. Got it?"

"Got it." He said the sound muffled by Eliza's finger.

She turned and walked out of the room, presumably to talk to his mother. Once she had left, he touched the spot where her finger had rested. His lips seemed to be tingling, and he hoped that they would never stop.

Once his mother had left on the bus for the market, Alexander grabbed his backpack, filled it with sandwiches, two glass jars filled with water, and a warm blanket. He took Eliza's hand and led her to the back of the house where the car was kept.

A grassy spot below the massive oak tree in the backyard where they kept the rusted old 1926 Hillman. Even though the car was now a complete rust bucket, Alexander vividly remembered when the car was new and playing on the shiny seats. He remembered sitting on his mother's lap in the driver's seat and grasping the glossy steering wheel of the interior. He remembered touching the shiny dark blue paint on the sides and declaring that it was his new favourite colour. He loved to honk the loud and piercing horn, which of course drove his father up the wall. He would dream of the day when he would be old enough to drive the car himself.

"Now, I know it's not much." He explained as they walked towards it. "But we've never once had a problem with it, so," he paused to pat the side and open the passenger door for Eliza. "You're in good hands." They both chuckled as Eliza settled in her seat. Alexander came around to the other side, got in, and jammed the key into ignition, starting the car.

They drove away from the property and down the open road, past miles and miles of random countryside and fields. Eliza felt freer now than she had felt for a long time. They chatted comfortably as they drove farther and farther away from the house. Alexander made sure to stay far from main roads and took only side streets. They drove until they had reached a quiet spot under a tree next to the road. They got out of the car and set up their picnic by laying down the blanket and getting their lunch out.

Eliza felt so genuinely happy for the first time in a very long time. So happy that she didn't realize when a jeep pulled up behind their car, and a uniformed men stepped out of it, holding an illustration up in order to see it better. A Nazi.

Alexander gripped her arm, hard, and Eliza saw what he had seen, and nearly fainted. "Eliza. Gather up the blanket very casually." She nodded slowly, and began to pack up, as if nothing was wrong. After she had placed everything safely in the bag, she put it on her shoulder, and clung to it like it was a lifeline. "Stay behind me, okay?" She nodded, again. They began to slowly make their way to the car. One of the uniformed men took the picture and looked between it and Eliza a few times. His eyes narrowed. Eliza had just stepped into the car, and Alexander had just opened his door when they heard a yell of, "Halt!"

Everything was a blur. Eliza screamed. "Go, go, go!" Doors were flung closed, the key shoved into ignition, and the car lurched forward at an insane speed. The heard yelling from behind them and then the sound of a jeep starting and following them. They raced through the streets, the jeep tailgating them and hitting the bumper, causing both Alexander and Eliza to lurch forward. They took sharp turns, trying desperately to lose them. All Eliza could think was I can't go back I can't go back please don't let them take me back.

A loud noise resonated in the air and Eliza felt something sharp whizz by her ear and then crack the windshield. They were firing at them. After the first shot, all was quiet except for the sounds of the car's engine working its hardest. Then the bullets started pouring on them. Eliza screamed and ducked down. Alexander cursed under his breath, then exclaimed in pain. The sleeve of his gray shirt started to turn a dark red alarmingly fast. Another shot rang out and he screamed as his arm jerked to the side in pain, causing the wheel to turn and the car to lurch to the side, off the road, and down the side of the mountain. Eliza had time only to clutch the backpack as hard as she could between her hands before they hit the ground and all she saw was black.

Someone was smashing her head open and clawing out her brains. That was the only explanation for the pain that she felt in her head. Far away, she heard voices talking quietly.

Down the side… car totaled… trees cushioned… two gunshots… possibly a concussion… absolute miracle.

She felt something cold and wet on her forehead. Acting on instinct, she shied away. "No," She protested, pushing the thing away. The cold thing continued to touch her forehead. She shoved hard and rolled over. "I said get off bastard!" She hid her face in her hands. They would've had to brought her back. Now she would die for sure. She couldn't even bare to look at the face of her captor.

"Eliza, that's not a very nice way to greet your sister."

She opened her eyes at last, whirled around, and came face to face with Angelica.

Everything went black once more.

A/N: Guys, I'm getting seriously discouraged by the lack of reviews that I'm receiving. For those of you who review and leave feedback, I truly appreciate it! It helps me to become a better writer. I want to know what you think and how you're finding the story. I'm considering abandoning this story if I don't receive more feedback because it's hard to stay motivated without your lovely reviews. I don't bite! Tell me what you think because I want to know if my readers are enjoying my story.

Much love,

Nicole