Title - Fia'in Summer

Summary -Two lives being led by one person. Buffy Summers is the newly famous punk singer Fia'in Slayer, what happens when her friends find out.

Disclaimer - Not mine! All characters belong to Mutant Enemy and Joss Whedon

Rating - Pg-13, I suppose.

A/N

Chapter 18

Sunday went off without a hitch but when Monday came I didn't even want to get up let alone make my way to school. I knew that today was going to be crap and even though I wanted to stay home and wallow in pity I wasn't going to leave my friends for the wolves aka Sunnydale High.

Angel picked me up and I as I sat in the passenger seat of his car I chewed on my lip while contemplating how school was going to be now that my secret was out. I heard Angel grunt and I could hear the confusion that laced it. Looking at him I could see his brow drawn together and I knew behind his sunglasses his eyes were narrowed, so I turned my attention to the parking the lot.

What I saw there was astonishing, or more what I didn't see there. My regular friends were milling around waiting for us but other than that there was no one else there. What I mean is that the people, who were in the lot besides the group, were people pulling up behind us and making their way to the school. There were no gathering fan club, or media mongrels, just the quaintnest of my friends.

"I guess they don't know," I said in a bewildered tone and pulled myself from the vehicle.

Angel was out only moments after me and replied, "Guess not, but it won't be long until they do baby."

I snuggled into his arm that was now wrapped around me and tried to repress the thoughts of how I was going to be treated in the next few hours.

"Hey Buff," Xander said shooting a grin my way showing his once again unwavering support.

Willow smiled and glanced at Oz as he spoke, "Doesn't seem like they know about you yet."

I gave him a shaky smile and responded, "Not yet, thank god."

We milled around until that bell rang and then we set off to our different classes. I was in English with Oz, Willow and Angel when I noticed Harmony's goons kept glancing at me and they weren't doing a very good job of hiding their gazes either. And then I knew, they were reading or had read Wesley's article and they were trying to figure out how they didn't see it before.

I tried to ignore them but it became impossible when the teacher stopped near them and demanded them to tell the class what they were talking about. I threw my hand in the air hoping to forestall their revelation, but it was no luck.

"Well Ms. Patterson I was just telling my friends that when we got out of class we just had to talk with Harmony."

"And just why, would you have to talk about this in my class."

It was Aurora or Aura or something who spoke this time, "Well you see, I had read this article this morning and it surprised me. And I just had to tell Michelle and Stacey about it."

Ms. Patterson had he arms crossed and looked like she wanted to wring their necks but instead she went on, "What was so important that you had to interrupt my class?"

"Ms. Patterson I need to use the washroom." I blurted out, anything to get out of the room before the sheep spilt everything.

"Not now Buffy, keep quite while I talk with these girls."

I was anxious to leave and Angel grabbed my hand in support, though it didn't do anything to calm me. By now I was shifting in my seat waiting for the bomb to drop.

"Well the article I read in LA confidential just shocked me this morning. Now I usually don't read the LA Confidential, after all it is a newspaper. Put this morning's front page article simply was too important to pass up. What caught my attention was the headline 'Fia'in Slayer; Sunnydale the New Europe'." I knew that the next sentence was going to be my unveiling. "So I read on and it turns out our own Buffy Summers is actually Fia'in Slayer and she has been giving us the slip for the past few years. She was never in Europe she just made it look that way."

By now the entire class's attention was on me and I was slowly sinking under the table. I could believe it all that hard work at keep my identity a secret and here in only seconds it was broke open. The stares increased in intensity and whispering broke out. When I heard the first scrape of a chair I shot out of my seat rushed to the door and flew down the hall. I burst outside and made my way to the parking lot sliding into Angel's backseat and ducking down so no one could see me unless they were peering into the car.

I sat on the floor in the back of the car with my arms wrapped around my legs. I was shaking with suppressed sobs, I didn't know why I was crying but I knew that I couldn't stop until I was finished. I was distraught that I didn't hear the door open and it wasn't until I was pulled into my boyfriend's lap that I noticed I was no longer alone.

"Here Oz, you drive. Take us to her house."

I heard this but it didn't register until we were off school grounds, Angel never let anyone drive his precious car and I said this to him.

"Well Buffy you're a little more important than worrying about my car."

I burrowed into his chest after checking the front of the car and seeing Willow and Oz sitting up front. I was worried about Willow, she had never missed school unless she was in bed sick as a dog and yet here she was skipping school. I wanted to smile at her and let her know how much her support meant to me but I couldn't bring myself to lift my head from hard comforting chest of Angel.

It didn't take long for us to reach my house, and I wasn't surprised to see the place surrounded by members of the media. The curtains were drawn, but still there were some reporters trying to sneak a peek through them. It was surprising how I forgot what these piranhas were really like. I told Angel not to stop; that there was no way I was going to get inside without some work so Angel told Oz to drive to his place. Oz continued right passed without grabbing the attention of the media, I was forever grateful for that at this moment. Angel pulled his arm from around my front and grabbed his cell phone. He dialed and when he started talking I knew that he was talking with Spike.

"Yeah, they're surrounding her house at this moment. So we going to my place tell the others and meet us there."

"Yeah, she's going to be alright."

"Yep, see you in a bit."

It wasn't until we were inside his house and Kathy was handing me a drink that I realized we were no longer in his car. Kathy was home today because she had a doctor's appointment in the morning and then a dentist appointment later in the afternoon.

"Thanks," I mumbled into the cup.

"No problem slayer."

My head jerked up and it wasn't the only one Willow and Angel's did at the same time with Oz slowly following behind. It surprised us all, she couldn't have known, Angel's mom never bought the Confidential and Kathy hadn't been at school that day.

"God what a fricken' pack of wolves."

"Me shirt was almost pulled off by a couple of grade ten's in attempt to get answers from me."

"Stupid little sheep almost, ruining this one of a kind Gucci shirt. God they would so have been paying for it if it got a single stain on it."

I shook with sobs again. My friends, they shouldn't have to go through this just because they knew me. I felt horrible, they're lives were in chaos now that my identity was out and it was all only going to get worse.

Angel was still stuck staring at Kathy, "Um...Kathy what did you just call Buffy."

"S-l-a-y-e-r." She spoke as if talking to a child.

"How…um…how did you know…know about her."

Kathy looked at Angel and rolled her eyes, "Well it doesn't take a genius to see the similarities between them and put the movements of Fia'in Slayer with the movements of Buffy."

"Oh." He said flopping.

I let Angel digest that his sister could see what he or anybody else could not, it was kind of weird that this young teenager was able to see who I really was and my friends couldn't.

"Fuck, those bloody wankers at that school are like a pack of hungry mutts." Spike snarled gripping Faith's waist and pulling her down to sit in his lap.

Faith and the others nodded in agreement. When they were all comfortable I took stock of them. Xander's shirt was ripped on the sleeve and side seam but Anya looked perfect. He most likely kept Anya behind him and took the brunt of Sunnydale High's attack. Cordelia's shirt looked slightly wrinkled but other than that she looked as she always did, now Doyle was another matter entirely. His usually wrinkled shirt was turned backwards, don't even want to know how that happened, and his pants looked like someone with a cup of coffee may have got a little close. Spike and Faith were impeccable, then again no would try anything with them except for a last resort.

My friends were my backbone and here they were, all showing their support of me. I couldn't be happier.

"I hope that everyone got here okay. I'll pay for anything that got wrecked today, after all it is my fault," I mumbled the last part with my chin on my chest not looking at anyone.

"I don't want to hear that shit B, nothin' today was your fault." I tried to interrupt but she just bowled right over me. "We all had an idea of what today was going to be like; we were just surprised because it didn't happen as soon as we got to school."

"Yeah so quit with the guilt trip you bint," Spike said pulling out a fag but replaced when he received a glare form Angel.

My gorgeous hunk of male stud can be quite intimidating when he wanted to be and if he didn't want to get in trouble with his mom than he had to make sure that nobody went against her rules. Mrs. O'Conner was the sweetest mom but she could also be the strictest.

I could remember one time that I was at the O'Conner's household when Mrs. O'Conner lost her cool.

Flashback

I was visiting Angel at his house it was at about only the fifth time that I had been at his house, and it was only the third time that Kathy his younger sister of five years was home as well.

"Kathy is your homework done," he hollered up the stairs.

The sounds of scampering could be heard through the floor and Kathy appeared at the top of the stairs, "I was done my homework an hour after I got home."

I was the only child so I loved watching them interact with each other. It was like living vicariously through them. Angel rolled his eyes just before turning back to his sister. Kathy was impatiently tapping her foot against the top of the stairs and when Angel turned around to face her she quickly stopped and put her most innocent look on her face. I wanted to laugh but held it in knowing that it would give Kathy away.

Mrs. O'Conner would be home soon, so Angel had to finish dinner and make sure Kathy was done her homework so their mom didn't get upset. I had only met Angel's mom twice before, but both times she reminded me of my own mother.

Angel rolled his eyes when he was again facing me and quietly mouthed 'sisters' to me. It was difficult to contain the giggles they bantering were causing, and when Kathy turned from the steps laughing I knew that she had seen my amusement.

About ten minutes after Mrs. O'Conner pulled into the driveway. I listened to the door close and her steps walk up the path towards the door. The two times I had met her, she was the sweetest, and she offered cookies and milk, something that reminded me of my mom. I had never seen her upset but Angel had said that it was quite the sight. He had come to school a couple of weeks before with a sorrow filled look, when he was asked about it he said that his mom was mad at him. I didn't see the biggie after all I had met his mom and she didn't seem like the type to get too pissed off at her kids, how wrong was I.

"Angelus O'Conner what the hell do you think you're doing?" She yelled out as the door slammed shut.

My eyes bugged out of my head, but if I thought my reaction was funny Angel's was hilarious. His eyes widened and he looked around as if wondering if there was anywhere to hide.

"Mom," his voice wobbled as it echoed down the hall towards his mother.

Mrs. Conner entered the kitchen gave me a smile before turning her impress scowl onto her son. "I just heard from Mary, who was in the hair salon this morning, that she overheard Mrs. Bradford telling Julie, the hairdresser that you led her daughter on, slept with her, and then dropped her like a hot potato. I didn't even know you were seeing her." By now she was fuming, her hands firmly gripping her hips and her left foot tapping in annoyance. We both knew what she wanted; she wanted Angel to explain to her what she had heard.

"Well, you, uh see its like this…what I mean is that yes I did go out with Bethany Bradford, but I didn't … um I mean to say that, that I lost interest in her and, yeah that's why we're no longer dating."

She nodded as if she believed him that notion was slashed with her next comment, "So you're saying that you and Bethany never slept together."

Angel shuffled his feet, he prided himself that he had never lied to his mother and I don't think he would start with this, 'Um… I didn't say that but uh don't you think this is a um… a conservation reserved for when we don't have guests." He said all this with his eyes averted from either his mother or me, and for once I was glad because he couldn't see the anger that I knew flashed in my eyes at the acknowledgement that he had indeed slept with this pretty unknown girl.

"I'm sure that Buffy here can handle this, but if you would rather not talk about it with her here than fine there are groceries to unload," she spoke low with her displeasure clearly showing through. She than turned to me, "Why don't you come and have a drink and talk with me while my son here gains some brownie points."

Flashback Ended

I couldn't believe that each and every one of my friends was sitting here surrounding me, offering their support. It was such a wondrous feeling to know that even with my life crumbling around my ears I still had the strongest support system I could ask for.