After thinking quite a bit on this, I decided this story will be my version of the OVA. Layla will run away for the same reasons but from there, the plot will be changed. I also thought of making her go back to S. Francisco but it didn't seem realistic because her life is now in New York. Enjoy (:

Chapter 2

Eventually the promising week arrived. The directors, the camera crew, and many other actors gathered up in one of the training rooms. Cathy Taymor made sure that she was sitting in the front row. She had her ankle on top of the other knee and her elbow with her chin on it. The light-men team were making their last adjustments on the stage before Layla could step on. She was inside her room waiting to be called. She looked at herself in the mirror. She had practised to the limit, her technique was not a problem but that special feeling, that personal devotion wasn't still there. Layla was still aware of this and Cathy, in a while, would be too.

Her performance was incredible and so, in the end, all the other people congratulated her. She humbly accepted but she really didn't care. She only wanted to hear from that one person who knows what actually makes a good show. The one person whose face expression had not changed.

'So?' Layla directly asked, never one of too many words.

'I don't know Layla ... it doesn't convince me...Your technique is not a problem, but you know what is?'

'I do.'

'You know you only have a week left.'

'Don't worry if it's not good I'll step out of the stage. Make that a promise.'

'I hope you know what you're doing' She knew Layla did, but she also knew that the best way to encourage her was to set her back so she could prove to everybody that she, Layla, was right.

'I always know.'

And that was it. For the first time of her life she didn't. For the first time she was conscious that she was lying. But she really wanted to believe it- she really wanted. She was nervous. She was at a point she just wanted to run away. And so when she parked her car back at home and saw her bike leaned over the wall she didn't think twice.

She had pedalled quite a while now and had finally reached the highway. Her feet and her back were sore but she couldn't, right now, feel that pain. She could only feel another pain, a much more painful one. Her thoughts were invading her. Her sole was constantly playing tricks on her and amazingly, she had fallen for it. I mean, running away? That was one of first lessons she had taught Sora and she firmly believed in it. Or at least she did... she couldn't recognise herself. She hated feeling like this, lost, undecided about everything and not working on her show- the place where she should be right now.

She finally stopped riding her bike. She walked across the front yard towards the motel. She thought twice, actually, all those movies she had seen at home about rapes and abuse inside them. But what could she do? Sleeping outside wasn't exactly safer. 'Oh what the hell..' she finally concluded and went inside to check-in.

After paying for one night in cash so it would be impossible to trace her through her credit cards, she had asked nicely to neglect any possibility of her staying. But the 40 year old man was no dummy and demanded for extra cash with that protection and confidentiality as he obviously knew who she was. After the rolling of her sapphire eyes and another "oh what the hell" thought, she finally sat on that bed in her room who didn't look friendly.

She grabbed her turned off blackberry. Knowing it was probably easy to find her once turned on although she wasn't naive and romantic enough to bring no source of communication with her and because God only knew where she would be heading the next morning.

Not having enough problems already, her head travelled back again to a certain man. Since that delivery man came to her house, she had been curious to call him and since she couldn't do anything in that room to distract her she thought she'd give it a try. She calculated the difference in time and figured it would be ok. But by the time she turned on her phone, she noticed 5 missed calls from Yuri. Layla, confused enough, called him back.

'Hello?' The handsome man alleged.

That voice, that familiar voice that she had heard so many times made her relax for a few seconds. 'Hi Yuri, it's me, Layla. I'm just calling you because I noticed your calls.. Been a while now, hasn't it'. The second she said that, the second she regretted it.

'Hey girl, yes I've been trying to call you; everyone is crazy looking for you! They called be in the middle of night asking if I had seen you, they told me you had run away but I couldn't believe it, right? But how've you been? Yeah.. it's been a while now...'

"Girl" she reflected. All those names she had asked him not to call her in ancient times but in reality and deep inside she had loved it, it made her feel his and only his.

She sighed over the phone. She knew he was disappointed with her as soon as he knew she had ran away.

He heard her worries only through that breath of air he calmly said 'hey! Honey.. I'm not judging or anything, what's wrong? I don't like the sound of that, It doesn't seem like you'

'Well... That's the problem.' She confessed. 'I ran away with my premiere next week. I feel awful and so lost and I shouldn't even be talking to you- I mean if they know I'm I'm... Gosh I'm a mess.' And she did feel awful and strangely enough, or not, the only thing making her feel better was his voice.

'So you did run away, huh? Someone is becoming a rebel' he replied trying to light up her mood. But it was no use and now he was becoming to feel worried as she stopped answering his questions. 'Layla! Where are you? Let me come and pick you up'

'I'm not even on the other side of the continent- remember?' Yes- she was now starting to be ironic.

'I'm well aware of that.' He wasn't- he had forgotten for a moment that she didn't live next to him anymore, when it was so easy to see her face. 'Just tell me your location and I'll be there tomorrow morning!' Yuri said quickly trying to balance his phone over his wide shoulders whilst using both hands to pack his bag.

'Yuri.. Don't bother. I'm serious. I didn't call you to give you trouble, I just felt a little weird, that's all. I don't want you to be involved with my own problems.'

'Layla...I've always worried about you-that hasn't change. So just give me the damn address- I'm not kidding!' He was already in his car heading to the airport. He knew her well, if she had called him, admitting her problems and recognising them, something was definitely wrong. But feeling selfish enough (and driving fast and trying to remember the address she had told him off by heart as he was in need of his two hands to drive. And even if she was now feeling worse about herself as she hated depending on other people, he had left her nearly crying with her elbow against her bent knee using the palm of her hand to massage her forehead as she closed her eyes.), he was happy to have a reason to be with her again.

Reviews please! I'm not so sure about this chapter, I'm trying my best so it doesn't seem lame or too rushed when it comes to the speaking parts. What do you think? And yes, before you ask, I do love the word damn. Xx

P.S: Thanks for all the support! It really helps me to keep me going!