Title: The Only Way is OUT
Disclaimer: This is purely for entertainment; none of the characters are mine.
Rating: PG-13
Note: Thank you for the reviews ). If you are wanting to read more, thank you for waiting so patiently for so long! My computer is fixed now, so I hope I can get back on track!

Chapter 2 – But Hiding is a Whole Different Story

They say for the first few moments you wake, every event that's recently happened is temporarily lapsed in your memory. And I can't stress enough just how true that is. All I could remember was falling asleep next to her, as I had done for many consecutive days now. I was tired. In love, but tired.

But then a lifetime of memories flooded back to me.

The vamps staked me. I nearly died.

My parents died. Nobody told me.

We killed Kaskistos. B helped me.

She staked someone. They died. Everyone saw.

We ran. We really did. We're in a motel on the edge of LA. We really are.

I rubbed my eyes, hoping that the stinging would subside shortly, and that my eyes would adjust to the sunlight beaming through the window. I sat up.

My eyes adjusted, alright. To the image of B holding a duffel bag, wearing a jacket. I sat up faster, and frowned.

'Whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you doin'?'

My tone found itself a couple of octaves above its normal pitch, and she did not look at me.

'Faith…' Barely audible. I furrowed my eyebrows and I couldn't comprehend the situation happening before me.

'What are you doing, where are you going with that bag?' I asked her, hoping to get a more hopeful response this time.

She glanced over her shoulder at me, though looked into the palm of her hand before she spoke. 'Faith, I can't,' she said, again, her voice barely above a docile whisper, her words tearstained with defeat.

But I still couldn't understand. Wouldn't understand. 'Can't what?' I asked, my voice climbing octaves still.

'I can't let you be a part of this. I have to leave before I screw your life up,' she mumbled, and I shuffled in the bed, my arms supporting my sitting position.

'B, what are you saying?' I said as I furrowed my eyebrows awaiting a reply even more desperately now.

'I'm saying I have to go.'

She headed for the door and no hesitation; I was at her, grasping hold of her shoulders trying gravely to catch her gaze, and craning my neck to do so.

'Let go of me,' she demanded flatly, her self devoid of any outward emotion, at least anything that I could pick up on.

'No,' I told her quickly.

'Faith, please just let go.' There it was again. The flat tone, devoid of expression.

What the hell was goin' on? I clutched at her shoulders tighter, shaking her a little. 'No; B!' Now I was beginning to lose it.

'FAITH LET ME GO!' Or perhaps not, because she struggled harshly from my grip as she yelled into my face, her tone bold and bitter.

I hurried to the door before she could reach it and pressed my back against it.

'Don't do this,' I said quickly.

'Don't Faith, I can't handle this right now…' she replied effortlessly, her tone low, almost sorry that she shouted at me.

'What, and you think I CAN?' I yelled, waving my arms around impetuously. 'I…'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for…'

She exhaled. 'I have to go.' It was as if she'd ignored my previous words. Like she was programmed for one thing and one thing only. To leave.

'No,' I refused quietly.

'Faith…' she muttered incoherently, again, almost apologetically.

'Don't you bloody well, don't you EVEN…' I started, feeling tears tumble down my cheeks. 'We didn't come this far for you to bail on me. No…I won't have it.'

I could see her beginning to sob as well, her defeated form clearly too weak for any sort of journey right now.

'No,' I stated, more defiantly this time. 'Okay. Just…' I shook my head.

'I don't wanna drag you down with me,' she began, her words drowning me. How could she do this right now? Why?

'Doesn't matter, B,' I decided. I licked my lips and pulled her over to the bed, and took the duffel bag from her, threw it down. I was NOT gonna let her do this alone. 'I'm draggin' me down with you, and you know why? Because I made a promise that WE would make it through. Together. I PROMISED you.'

She shook her head indolently, as if she was drained of energy. Her eyes gazed into mine and I searched hers. What was she thinking?

'You said you loved me last night…' she said gently.

I blinked and nodded. 'I did. I mean it.'

Then there was an even longer silence. And all we did was look at each other. Until she eventually spoke up.

'You know what happens, don't you…with the Council, I mean?' she asked me and I nodded my head slowly. 'If the Council find us both then they will kill you too. For protecting me.'

'So?' she interrupted me immediately, her voice overpowering mine.

'I am NOT gonna sit back and let that happen…'

I took the liberty of interrupting her to complete my sentence. 'I'd rather die with you than go on living knowing that I lost you. Listen, B, we're running because we can. And they won't catch us. We're too fast. But without you…I'm bound to lose.'

Her eyes fell to focus upon a spot on the floor and I took her hands in mine.

We sat across from one another at a booth in a small café around the corner from the motel.

Her chin sat rested in the upturned palm of her hand, her fingers curled in towards her mouth, her eyes looking out of the window, far from here I supposed. She didn't look at me once. Or her food.

So I took it. Two full English breakfasts would do me fine.

It was about half an hour until we exchanged words. And I gotta say, it was not in the fashion I expected.

'Say something…' I mumbled through a mouthful of toast.

She ignored me and I sighed.

'B; c'mon…'

'What do you want me to say?' she snapped, not even looking at me as she did.

Alright being pissed off I understand. But at what? Me? Stop me if I'm wrong but I believe I was trying to help her.

I raised my eyebrows and looked towards my plate of food. 'Say something.'

'I'm trying to think what the hell I'm gonna do, Faith, so back off.'

I looked at her, still in the same position she was in before. 'Buffy…'

'WHAT?' There it was a third time.

I tried to shake off her attitude towards me. 'You didn't even eat your breakfast.'

'Why can't you just back off?' She began to slide out of her seat and I caught her hand moving across the table. She paused, and looked down at it, then up at me. 'Get off me, Faith.'

'No,' I told her. 'B…' I lowered my voice. 'I know what you're goin' through…'

She leant in close to me, and it was as if this blanket of hatred came over her, and directed towards me. Honestly? It scared the crap outta me. 'You don't have the first clue.' She pulled her hand from my grasp, her form jolting slightly as she came free of me. I listened to the scuff of her shoes on the hard floor as she stormed out, and dropped my fork into my plate, and brought a hand to my forehead as I clamped my eyes shut.

I guess I was an idiot for not waiting for my change, but right now, catchin' B up was the most important thing I could worry about. 'B, I'm-' I pushed past a couple of people on the crowded sidewalk and broke into a semi-jog to catch her up. 'I'm sorry; Buffy wait!' I told her, catching her wrist in my hand and spinning her round. 'Buffy…what I said…'

'I'm goin' crazy thinking what the hell I'm gonna do and you're filling your guts with café food as if you don't give a damn.'

'Buffy, I give!' I couldn't understand her. For a moment I thought I was losing her. Again. 'How can you say that I don't care; of course I do!'

She scoffed, freed herself from my grasp and once again was headed off down the street.

'Buffy, what have I done? Why are you shrugging me off like this? I don't…' I trailed off. '…Understand.' I moved past a few more people and hurried to keep up with her. 'Speak to me, Buffy.' No reply. 'Please.' No reply. 'B, I love you, please just stop…'

And she did; spun round, and pointed towards me. 'See! Like THAT; you can't, you CAN'T do that, just, drop things like that on me, I can't – I can't take it – not right now,' she said hurriedly. Then the tears started. 'I can't…I can't deal with ANYTHIG right now…and this is the last thing I need…'

'But I mean it-' I plead.

'No; just STOP!' she yelled. 'Don't say it again, I can't, I…' she clenched her teeth together and made a noise. 'Just…leave me alone.'

I couldn't stop her. She was off down the street again, and I realised that she needed to be alone.

I can't describe how out of my mind I was going just leaving her be. But I had to. Because otherwise she would leave me. And I'd go insane if that ever happened.

But I had no idea it was a matter of needing me, rather than not wanting to be around me.

Sundown had passed two or so hours ago. And she'd been running. And running. Her feet were getting tired and she was losing her breath. They were persistent. And they'd spotted her. She didn't see them coming. But the moment they touched her, she knew. And before they could snatch her, she was running.

Even to stop in a sheltered area to get her breath was a mistake because they just knew to look there. She couldn't understand how. They just did.

It got to the point where I decided to go and look for her. My anxiety got the better of me and all I wanted to do was hold her, see her, to be next to her.

I didn't have to go far. I pulled on my jacket and switched the light off, turned the door handle and pulled it open. And seconds later we were holding the door shut with our backs, at the floor, her voice telling me to "be quiet." But aside her heavy breaths, that was all there was. Quiet.

We waited for about ten minutes before she moved again. 'They found me…' she started as she rose to her feet and flipped on the light switch. I furrowed my eyebrows as I watched her begin to collect my items and shove them into my bag.

'Who?' I asked, remaining at the floor against the motel door.

'Who do you think?' she said hurriedly. 'C'mon, we have to go: NOW.' Although there remained that slight tone of hatred and forcefulness in her voice, I listened. If we had to go, we had to go.

So I picked bus number 348, and we both kept our eyes open this time.

Something reminded me that she needed me. The bus ride seemed like it would never end. Two hours and counting and it was still in motion. Del Rio, Texas. The words just kept repeating in my mind. But as carved into my head as they had now become, nothing was reassuring of our safety than her hand in mine.

TBC