Chapter One
Pairing: W/T – eventually.
Rating: PG – watch chapters for changes.
Disclaimer: I in no way, shape or form own the characters from BtVS. This is completely AU, and there may be some dialogue stealing on my part here and there. There's no hellmouth, no oogly-booglys, to quote Jean Paul Sartre "Hell is other people". So there may be some angst, near misses but inevitably there will be a happy ending.
Feedback: Yes, please, let me know if you want more.
Author's Note: This is just an idea, not really sure where it's going. I know it's short and I do have more, but for now I just thought I'd throw it out and see how it goes over. This does not mean Dry Heat won't get finished for those of you following it, it just means I need a bit of a break to do something a little different. Also there is no beta, so any mistakes are all my own. Anything glaring pm me and I'll take care of it.
Leaving the Past Behind aka Leaving Las Vegas
The grating sound of motor as it turned over was still not as hard as when I looked in my rear-view mirror and saw her waving as I drove away. I think I had hoped she would stop me, beg me to stay – say it was all a silly mistake and if we could just talk a little we'd get through it… but she didn't.
And I left.
I just managed to keep it together until I hit the highway, and it seemed like every radio station was out to get me. REM "Everybody Hurts" – hit scan for a new station – Nazareth "Love Hurts" – hit scan – Gloria Estefan "Anything for You" – mash the button a little harder – Michael Bolton "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" – that's when I knew that someone out there really hated me.
I seethed between gulps of air, and more waves of tears. The cherry on the sundae was when I rolled passed the "You are now leaving the Las Vegas City limits" sign, and my most recent scan of radio stations stopped on Sheryl Crow's voice stridently proclaiming that she was "Leavin' Las Vegas!" I rolled my eyes and groaned. I couldn't take anymore.
I pulled over so I could hang my head and cry, because so was I. I was leaving her behind and I felt like not only was my heart breaking but my life would no longer be happy ever again. Heartbreak does that to a girl. I don't know how long I sat there in my beat up truck with the clichéd u-haul attached heading back to the little town in the mountains where it all started – where I called home.
I started my truck again, hastily turning off the radio all together. I pulled some fast food napkins from my glove box and blew my nose. As I pulled back out onto the highway the last strains of the song ran through my head again.
"I'm leaving Las Vegas, And I won't be back, No I won't be back, Not this time".