"Angel, the currently tormented lead singer of rock group Angelus, has checked himself back into a local rehab facility earlier this morning..."
Buffy rolled over in her bed as the news came out from her clock radio. She stared at the noise making device as the man reporting such rambled on a bit before she'd heard enough, reached over and turned it off. The lastthing she heard was the man questioning his broadcast partner on if this rehab stint would bring her back into the picture or not.
Buffy closed her eyes for a moment, letting a lot of things sink in. She felt a tingling hope deep withing and sat there trying to will it away.
She did truly want to believe that her ex was going to get the help he so obviously needed, but she also knew him and how things had gone with this before. Angel had gone to rehab a number of times before... problem was, he'd never stay. Though she did always hope maybe, just maybe... this time would be different. It just became harder and harder with each and every try and fail. But... maybe her leaving had woken him up.
Buffy made no rush to get herself out of bed and start the day. She thought for a bit about Angel, then she began mentally imagining what she could do to make her rented room a bit more homey for her. It was a nice though, put some excitement to think of... though at the same time, made her stomach want to give way when reality came into her mind again.
She didn't want to get attached, for a number of reasons. One being the chance someone would find out who she was and blow her cover. If so, she'd be out of here in a snap. And on the other hand... Buffy didn't like the idea of getting comfortable here... because that would mean everything truly was over, that things with her love would never change.
With a lot of her mind, she finally decided to get out of bed and head toward the bathroom. The image in the mirror no longer made her jump, but she wasn't all that used to it either. It wasn't so much that she suddenly looked like someone else entirely, but it was safe to say she didn't so much look like her regular self either. The changes to her appearance helped, but so did no one expecting her to be here too.
Leaning closer to the mirror, Buffy studied her face for several minutes before sighing and going over to start a bath. When she got out, she dried off slowly and threw her pajama's back on. She didn't have to work today and she had no plans either, so far. Standing back in front of the mirror, Buffy sighed and began brushing her hair as she stared at the odd girl looking back at her.
Elizabeth Lehane.
Beth.
New in town. Beth.
Sister of Faith Lehane. Beth.
Brunette. Beth.
Nobody knows. Beth.
Cashier. Beth.
Normal girl. Beth.
OoOoO
If you were to ask Faith Lehane, she would add in a thing or two to Buffy's list of what was helping her stay hidden from the rest of the world for the time being.
The girl sharing her apartment was a far cry from everything Buffy Summers had seemed to be. There were some things you could look back on and see some resemblances to, but for the most part it was very much like two very different people, in very different worlds.
The girl known as Buffy Summers had won over the hearts of millions real quick. Try as many might, it was just impossible not to find yourself fascinated by the tiny blonde. And as she had become more and more comfortable with the high life she'd been thrust into, the more the girl had begun to shine. The girl was sweet, almost sickening so at times. She always seemed so polite and caring, no matter what was going on. She was infectious with it all. The girl could smile one of those smiles and no matter who you were, you found yourself with your own goofy grin plastered across your face. You knew why damn well Liam Angelus was a goner. Especially if you put them together.
The press? They loved her. L-o-v-e-d her. There was, of course, the first and foremost reason of the rumor mill, added in with the countless amount of money she'd rung in. She had sold more stories, pictures, magazines, the work than anyone else. After awhile, Angel wasn't even needed for them to sell or become interesting, the girl was a life of her own. But more than that, whenever she would be in something... it was always... she always had something special. If she did an interview, whoever the interviewer was, they seemed to enchanted by the end of it. They could go in moddy, disrespectful, rude and all get out... but by the end, seemed every single time, everyone changed to being head over heels in love with her.
The papparazzi loved her the most though. Money, care, memories. She'd never been rude about it, shy at first but then seemed to accept it all. She never even showed annoyance really, but she also never reveled in it as many celebrities did these days. She just seemed to accept it was part of the lifestyle. She smiled and waved, apologized when someone else weren't handling it quite as well, she answered their questions, laughed with them. Every once in awhile, she'd have a little fun with them too. She'd hang out and talk a little longer than usual, borrow one of their camera's and ask if she could go 'hunting' with them sometime, which, of course, they agreed to, and little things like that when she was in a better, more playful mood. And, they got most of the information about her out there. She really wasn't fond of doing the 'real' press, the interviews, photoshoots and the works. She was just a girl, as she kept trying to tell everyone.
Other celebrities loved her. Photographers, actors, musicians, designers, movie directors, writers... they all had a hard time ever saying a bad word about her. They all just wanted to meet her and comment on how damn adorable she was. And many, that they wanted to help make her an even bigger star. They were pretty dissapointed when they their offers were turned down. Buffy didn't seem to have any desire to be a model, an actress, anything they were hoping for. She did pimp out some of her favorite bands and movies with a wide collection of tee shirts though. They all seemed to appreciate that. And she did wear any gifts from designers and would boast about how wonderful they were when asked. They really loved that. Until the next event, they were the hottest hit in town thanks to her.
She was asked whether or not she and Angel were having an affair so, so, so many times but she never faultered. She never showed annoyance as the same question kept coming up everywhere she went. She'd smile and shake her head and tell the world again and again that no, they were not, that they were just friends. Sometimes she'd get a bit more into it, usually in more sit-down situations, and try to do her best to explain the situation, a little bit about her, her friendship with Angel, what she was doing hanging around all the time and so on. She put up with a lot of horrible things being said about her and often to her as well. It had taken some time, but the world watched as she got unfortunately had to get used to it. She'd say it hurt her to see and heard things like that, and you honestly could see that it did when brought up, but she never said an unkind thing back. She never really had an unkind thing to say at all. The ideas she put out there didn't always seem like the most interesting in Hollywood terms so they kept at it, but the more time went on, the more everyone else began to actually believe her. And every just fell just a little bit more for her.
Fangirls were supposed to hate her. They hated everybody who got close to 'their' Angel. Whenever there was a rumored girlfriend or whatever, you could count on them to provide some dumbass entertainment. And whenever he took up with Cordelia... and then ended up friggin' getting married to her so suddenly... oh yeah. She was Enemy Number One. Everybody hated her. But damn, B came along, won their hearts as well. They were cheering her on. They wanted her to break up the unholy marriage between those two. And when the eventually did reveal themselves as a couple, they remained loyal. They were jealous, but it didn't matter. They had a couple now. And they were obsessed.
Buffy, on the other hand, never said a bad thing towards Cordelia either. She always said she liked the brunette and they somewhat got along but she really didn't know her all that well. She stood by that she had no intention to come between the two of them and she always wished them the best. Everybody else on the planet was ahead of the curve on that one. She might not have set out for what was to come, tried to stop it, and all of that but it was far too late. Everybody and their mother knew Angel had fallen in love with her and it was only a matter of time.
Now, to look at any resemblance, you had to go there. Buffy trying to put an end to whatever was going on between her and Angel. Her running away was what Faith assumed was really got the fangirls behind her. Well, not so much the actual running away part, but the Angel going after her bit. He'd chased her down many times, a few with the lights and cameras following along for the ride. And he publicly talked her into coming back though they were only seeing one another at the time. He'd break your heart with those speeches, begging her not to go. She'd fall apart right before your eyes. She'd tried to push him away, to explain they couldn't do this, that things were going to end up in a horrible way... but he always got her back.
That's why Buffy had to go about things so differently this last time. She knew she'd go back if he'd find her. She always did. She couldn't help it. Faith was sure that if she'd witness the man she loved murder someone then came running after her and sweet talked her like that she'd take him back. Hell, she might even take the fall for him. It was just like that between them.
Faith could remember being drawn to Buffy then, when she wasn't all held together. You knew she loved him just as much as he loved her, but she was doing her best to keep it inside, to keep the words she'd said so many times true. But she did love him, did need him just as much as he needed her. And Buffy was just so vulnerable then, more like the girl she'd come to know a bit more personally then on tv, in magazines and on the internet.
Those incredibly personal moments everyone intruded on really stuck out in Faith's memory.
She could also remember back to whenever the news first came out about the blonde and how it spread like wildfire. She could remember Buffy from before, when she was not used to this life. When she terrified of the mob who practically attacked them from all angles wherever the went. She could remember the shy girl hiding behind the frontman of her favorite band, remember the first time peeked her head around. She could still see that look on her face, in her eyes.
And lastly, she could think back to a few key captured moments that had happened a bit more recently. There were times when Angel had been a bit too out of control publicly, but the real story was with Buffy. They'd capture her reaction and it broke your heart to see that girl in so much pain. You could go back and look through old clips and photos and such and see the downfall right there. She was slowly dying inside, and everyone sat back and watched.
OoOoO
Angel was shaking and sweating profusely. He'd only been here a number of hours so it wasn't really the withdrawls hitting him yet, more with the terrified of what was to come. He knew that he was going to be sick, he knew he was going to be in pain, he knew he was going to suffer.
He'd attempted to get through this more times than he could count. He knew what was coming, he knew it was going to be worse than the last time and the time before that and the time before that... not that he could see how. He could still remember how bad it had been. Somewhat anyway. What he could was more than enough though. But now, with Buffy gone... everything was so much worse.
He had tried since she left... but clean and sober, even if just the tinest bit, made the pain of losing her unbearable. It wasn't a fuzzy haze, it was all right there. Every ounce of heartache, every fucking thing he had done wrong. It was right there. And he could not deal. He wasn't that strong, he didn't know if anyone could be. Not if they felt like he did.
He was using and drinking more than he ever had before. He still knew she was gone, still felt the most pain he'd ever been through in his life, still had her on his mind... but it dulled it all. Just the tiniest bit. And he craved that more than anything.
Angel stared at a spot on the wall in front of him until his vision blurred. 'Why couldn't I have stayed, one time, one fucking time?' he asked himself for the millionth time. 'One time before she left.'
Angel felt tears stinging his eyes, bile rising in his throat.
He was already planning his exit.
