Title: Runaway

Chapter 1: Arrival in LA

Disclaimer: Okay I haven't really done this before but the characters and places etc all belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy (whoever you see on the titles of Buffy) and the only characters and places etc that belong to me are the ones you don't recognise. There now that wasn't so bad was it?

Author's Note: I know that some of this might be out of the right buffy timeline and I'm sorry but your just gonna have to live with it, or tell me in reviews. Which by the way are welcome. You're probably all tired of hearing this, I know I am when I read it, but this is one of my first fanfics so go easy. Please? This is actually the 2nd time I've uploaded this chapter 'cause the first time it didn't come quite how I wanted it.

Small Print: Time spent reading this story is none refundable.

With a small sigh Buffy stepped off the train onto a busy platform, of a busy station, of the busy city of Los Angeles. It was just how she remembered it. Packed. Everywhere you looked people were hurrying around, trying to get to their destination on time. And no one paid any attention to the beautiful, young blonde. She was just another face. Just like she wanted to be.

Sometime later Buffy Summers (late of Sunnydale) stood in the bathroom of a cheap flat that she'd rented. For a moment she looked into the mirror above the sink and took in her face. There was no doubt that it was beautiful with that shoulder length blonde hair and hazel eyes, but those were eyes that held many secrets. The eyes that had seen countless people die, and the eyes that had seen the only man she had ever loved end his undead existence.

With another sigh - I seem to be doing a lot of that, she thought wryly – she opened a plastic carrier bag and pulled out several boxes, bottles and the clothes at the bottom. In one way she was going to miss the real her, able to wear the feminine clothes she loved and catch the eye of pretty much any guy, but it was a necessary sacrifice if she didn't want to be found. Buffy quickly mixed the contents of one packet into the water in the sink and washed her hair thoroughly in it. When she stood with her hair in a turbine she carefully took off all her makeup and put her jewellery in a soft bag where it would be safe. Next she dried her hair and then changed her clothes, adding the old ones to the bag and hiding it underneath a loose floorboard.

I guess it's pretty useful this place is a dump or else there'd never be a very convenient loose floorboard, she mused with a small smile.

When Buffy looked at herself in the mirror when she was finished she hardly recognised herself. Gone was the luscious, shoulder length blond hair, replaced by dark brown pulled back into a tight ponytail. She now wore no makeup or jewellery and instead of the pale blue dress she had been wearing, she wore baggy trousers and a faded sweater. Wow! No one'll recognise me like this. And safe in the knowledge that no one would know who she was, Buffy Summers fell on her bed and slipped into a restless sleep.

~

Back in the town of Sunnydale Rupert Giles impatiently paced the floor of the High School's library as he waited for any news. The door slammed open and Xander Harris and Willow Rosenburg, Buffy's two best friends, walked into the room.

"Did you find her?" the older man asked hopefully.

Xander shook his head. "We talked to Buffy's mom though," Willow told him. "Apparently she went back home after the whole getting arrested thing. When she was getting ready to go out again Mrs Summers said that if she went out again then she didn't need to bother coming back again."

Giles nodded his understanding. "And Buffy went out." It wasn't a question, he what she would have done. Once again she had put others before herself. "And what about Angel. Was there any sign of him?"

This time it was Willow who shook her head. "None. I don't understand it, the spell should have returned his soul."

Xander shuddered. "If it didn't work, then maybe Buff had to kill him. Even that's better than an vampire as evil as Angelus walking around undead."

The others murmured their agreement. The evil version of Angel, the one that had no soul or conscious just like other vampires, was probably one of the worst things that could happen to the earth. It was only when Angelus had killed a gypsy girl and her tribe had cursed him with the return of his soul and conscious that his reign of terror had ended. Since that time, which was over a hundred years ago (a/n I can't remember the exact number), Angel had lived in the sewers of Manhattan, LA and Sunnydale, trying to forget the ghosts that haunted him. It was only when Buffy had entered his life that he had found a reason to continue his undead existence.

"Then we must find her," stated Giles before adding as an after thought. "And Angel as well."

~

Buffy took a deep breath as she stood outside Stan's Diner in the warm morning sun. The window held a sign asking for applications for a waitressing job and she desperately needed money. The cash she had managed to get before leaving her home in Sunnydale would only last her for so long. Before her confidence failed her completely she pushed open one of the double doors to the Diner and walked in.

What she could see of the place looked nice. There were already some people sitting in booths and it looked clean. A good place to work' decided Buffy.

Quickly she walked up to the counter and got the attention of a large and very bald, middle aged man.

"Er, excuse me? I'd like to speak with the owner, please."

"I'm the owner, Stan White. What can I do for you?"

"I noticed that there was a sign in your window for a new waitress."

"That's right. Ever since the last one ran off with one of the delivery boys." He shook his head for a moment. "But anyway, have you had any experience in the food business?"

"I worked at McDonald's for a few months," Buffy lied.

"Reason for leaving your job?" he asked promptly.

"We, uh, we moved."

"Well, there haven't been any other applicants and that notice has been up for ages . . . What's your name?"

Buffy started suddenly. Of all the stupid things! I haven't even come up with a name! she thought wildly. 'I suppose it makes sense; new life, new look, new name. Besides if I keep my old name they'll trace me easily.'

"Angela," she found herself saying. "Angela Whitfield." Oh yeah, that's really original. Just pick a last name that's like his. That definitely won't make him suspicious, she told herself sarcastically.

"Well Angela, you've got yourself a job."

~

okay, so what did anyone think? please, please, please tell me in reviews. i don't care if there bad so long as i get them. i'm gonna try and get a new chapter up as soon as possible.