A/N: This is an AU story. English is my second language, so I apologize in advance. I don't think I butchered the grammar and spelling too much, though. Comments and reviews will be greatly appreciated. Please enjoy.

Chapter One

New York City

Demi looked outside her window at the falling rain and sighed. It was the kind of New York evening she enjoyed the most, but right now it was a very difficult thing to do. She hated that she had to look for a new job. Again. It was the third time this year, and it was only may. God, it was so depressing sometimes. A string of meaningless jobs one after the other. Perhaps it was her fault, she didn't deny it, but still it was depressing. To say that nothing in her life had ever gone according to plan was the understatement of the century.

She was wearing blue jeans, boots, one of her favorite t-shirts from a long forgotten concert, sitting in a couch by the only window in her small apartment that had a view. It had two rooms, one bathroom, a small living room, a little kitchen with a breakfast nook, and a lot of full bookshelves. Really. A lot. Perhaps it wasn't big, or fancy, but it was hers.

She stared at the Times wanted section, yet it was extremely hard to start browsing. But it was either that or asking for help from big sister. Or even worse, mother. No, the thought alone was enough to send a shiver down her spine. She would rather live in the subway before she did that. She was being a little over dramatic, her savings sufficient to cover the rent for at least 3 months, and still have an adequate amount to buy food, pay the utilities, transport, etc. She was a good at managing her money. But even so, the job market was in the toilet, especially for M.A.´s.

Ha! That was a good joke. A fucking M.A. in Comparative & World Literature was a great thing, but only if most universities aren't afraid to hire you for fear you would blow the whistle on a world famous, Nobel Prize-winning professor. Not that the bastard didn't deserve it, but it had turned her into persona non grata at most schools.

So she forced herself to open the Times, but her options were insubstantial. She probably would end up at telemarketing, for the nth time. At least until a supervisor got wind that she was extremely overqualified for the job and fired her, as had happened with most of the jobs she had had in the past four years. But if she was certain of something in this life, it was of three things: 1.- She wasn't going to teach toddlers ever again, it had been one of the worst experiences ever. 2.- She wasn't going to work at fast food joints. And finally, she was not going to ask for money from Dallas or Mum.

She realized she was not going to be able to concentrate, so she grabbed her BlackBerry, her bag, a raincoat and an umbrella, and went outside to walk to her neighborhood's coffee shop. After locking the door she sighed and went back for the paper, and finally walked out into the rain.

Los Angeles

"Ohh come on Selly! Let's go out, it's Saturday for crying out loud!"

"Yes, I'm aware it's Saturday, Dallas" Selena said with a laugh "But it's not even 4pm and you're already thrashed!"

Dallas Munroe was perhaps Selena's best friend. She had known her for what seemed like forever, since they met on the Wizards of Waverly Place set when the older girl guest starred as a slightly psychotic wizard who tried to take over the world. Selena often joked that older girl had just been acting as herself.. In their own right they were both successful young people, Selena being Disney's queen, the star of their most successful show ever, a long string of movies, and a bunch of records. Dallas was the star of the sci-fi show Fringe, and a couple of summer blockbusters. In a nutshell, they were girls who had everything going on for themselves.

But right now Selena's mind was preoccupied with things other than partying all weekend long. She had broken up with Nick for the second time in as many years, but this time she knew it was different. Well, more than knowledge, she had a feeling deep in heart. And it was not a nice one. That was the reason she came to the star's home in Beverly Hills, she needed someone to talk to. And yet Selena had to admit that even though she loved Dallas dearly, she had not been her first choice. She would rather have a serious talk with Taylor or Miley, but they were out of town.

Not that Dallas was a bad person, because she wasn't. She was a kind, caring, loyal girl once you got past her party-girl exterior. But party she did. A lot. And right now she looked seriously sloshed.

"Selly! Please! I wanna go partying!" Dallas whined while looking at her, taking another drink from her beer.

"Dallas, I really think you've drunk enough for the both of us already, now please, sit down and listen to me, I have something important I need to discuss with you."

The girl pouted but did as she was told, and sat on the couch in front of the one her brunette friend was. Selena had always been amazed at how Dallas did her bidding nine times out of ten, but psychoanalyzing her, as much fun as it sounded, would have to wait.

"OK, what do you wanna talk to me about?" she asked while taking yet another swig from her beer "Do you need me to kick that sorry Jonas jerk's ass? ´Cuz I will do it, you know I will. I will beat him so bad his grandsons will hurt!"

Selena had to laugh at her friend's eagerness to hurt the curly-haired boy. "No Dallas, I don't want to talk about him. Believe it or not, the breakup is not really affecting me. I sort of expected it. We really were not meant to be. Honestly. It's just that, well, I haven't been feeling myself this past few days, and breaking up with him just made me realize some other things" she said pensively.

"Mmm… OK, what is it then?" Dallas said while starting to get a little bit worried about her raven-haired friend. She loved Selena, and she would do anything for her.

"It's just that, well, I'm twenty-five Dal, and I'm still working for Mr. Mouse," Selena looked at her friend's eyes before continuing "I mean, I never planned it like this, I never planned to do Wizards until I was twenty-two, I mean, come one, it was just like Sabrina the Teenage Witch goes to college, who buys that?"

Dallas could see Selena was clearly frustrated, and instantly wished she hadn't started drinking so damn early. "But Selly, it can't be that bad, you've done great things, and kids still love you" she put down her beer and walked around the coffee table to sit with her friend. She gave her a small pat in the knee to encourage her to keep talking.

"That's the point Dal," she continued, "I'm not complaining about it, I think it's great kids still look up to me, but I want more, I want to be a serious actress, not just another Disney princess, and an aging one at that." She chuckled slightly at that. "Look at Taylor, look at Miley, they got away from Mr. Mouse when they had the chance, and they're doing great. I want to do more with my life, do some serious acting, but right know what everyone cares about is my breakup with Nick, and whether or not there'll be another Wizards movie."

"Don't forget Princess Protection Program 3: Royally Screwed" said Dallas cheerfully, at which Selena had to laugh somewhat bitterly.

"Oh I seriously doubt Emma Roberts is willing to play Rosie for a third time, not after winning an Oscar. And that's also what I mean," she said excitedly "Look at her, she runs away from Disney and she wins an Academy Award, that's what I want. To do something more with my life." She noticed a slightly confused look in her friend's face, so she kept going, "Don't get me wrong, I love my fans, I love their supportiveness, and I am extremely grateful with Disney for the opportunity they gave me, for believing in me, but I feel like I need more. And well, my contract's up for renewal next month."

"I think I understand you" Dallas said sympathetically, "But it's a very serious decision, since we're talking about not renewing with The Rat" Selena laughed hard at that, "You better think hard about it, but I'm pretty sure most studios would be glad to have a star like you in their payroll"

"Thanks for that Dal, you're great!" Selena smiled at her slightly less intoxicated bestie and gave her a real big hug.

"Uhmpph, let go kiddo, you know I'm not a hugger. Besides, we're stars we must always keep our cool" Dallas said with a cheesy grin.

"I know I have a very important decision to make, but I would also like some peace and quiet to do it. I'd like to go someplace where people wouldn't recognize me, or where I could at least remain unnoticed" She sank back in the couch, "I was thinking about Europe or a Caribbean island or something along those lines."

"Actually that would be an extremely bad idea. To go anyplace where you need to use your passport leaves an electronic and paper trail that anyone with a little patience and few resources can follow," Dallas mulled things over while taking a tiny sip from her beer, "How long do you think it would take the paparazzi to find you? I would suggest not getting out of the country, and getting there via car or bus, never by plane, train, boat or anything that requires you to show an ID to buy a ticket."

"Wow, where the hell did you learn that?" Selena asked intrigued "I thought databases of people's itineraries where kept private"

"Well it's supposed to be that way, but any decent hacker with a netbook and a high-speed internet connection can get inside the airlines and hotels reservations computers, or the paparazzi can just bribe someone to take a look for them." Dallas answered while getting up and walking to the small fridge in a corner of the room to get another Guinness. She silently offered Selena one and this time she didn't said no.

"And you know this how?" Selena queried while accepting and opening the cold, dark beer.

"My sister told me"

"Madison? How can she know that, she's only sixteen" Selena asked with an expression of disbelief in her face

"No of course not Madison, don't be silly! My other sister, Demi, told me once, and she knows ´cuz she's extremely smart, you know." Was Dallas answer to Selena's unspoken question. "Around three years ago I was feeling a bit down and told her it would be fun to run away from it all, you know, just for kicks. She told me people can trace you anywhere, and it's not just the government who can do it anymore. She said that if I was serious about it, I should use only cash, travel by car, and try to use my ID as little as possible. Oh and buy a disposable cell phone too! I not sure why this information stuck with me for so long, maybe because it surprised me she knew so much about disappearing."

"Wow!" Now Selena was truly amazed. "But how does she know that?"

"I told you, she's really smart. Actually, I think Eddie said once that she totally qualifies as a genius."

"Wow! But speaking of her, how come she hasn't been over to visit lately?" Selena asked, her curiosity was piqued, and all the while a plan was starting to take shape in her head.

"We, I don't know how to say this, but well, I mean" Dallas stuttered while trying to think of a way to explain to Selena why indeed her sister had not visited in a long time. "It's just that, well, you remember the Barney audition?" When Selena nodded she continued "Well, you know my mom, God knows I love her, but she can be very difficult. When Demi didn't got cast, she gave her the silent treatment for a month, and God it's hard to say this" she said, looking anywhere but her friend's eyes. "Mom blamed Demi for it, and she kind of punished her for it for the next 6 years"

Selena gasped at that, she knew Dianna was a hard person to please, but that seemed like a really harsh thing to do. She waited for Dallas to continue.

"Anyway, as I said, she always was a very smart kid, off to college at age sixteen, right about the time you and I met. I guess that's why you never saw her around a lot. Well, long story short, she went to college on a full scholarship, got her degree, then she went on to get her Master's, and well, she never came back home, just occasionally on the holidays."

"But Dal, Mom and I spent the last Thanksgiving and Christmas with you guys in Texas and she wasn't there, how come?"

"It's just that, well, mom shut her off, and I kind of did so too" Dallas sat down far from Selena, actually ashamed of herself. She looked down at her lap, and never at her friend while she continued. "She had this brilliant future ahead of her, and just after she got her Master´s at twenty-one, maybe one of the youngest in the history of SUNY, she reported a very famous professor who had been sleeping with some of her students in exchange for good grades. And even though an investigation proved Demi right, most universities had her unfairly pinned as a troublemaker, and no one would hire her. She's been forced to make a living through a series of meaningless jobs. That pissed off mom too, you know. The shame one of her daughters brought onto the family."

"Dal, it's ok" Selena said in a sweet voice, surprised to see this side of her friend. She always was very guarded when it came to her true feelings, and Selena was happy she had come to trust her enough to open up to her. She was also impressed with this Demi. And maybe a little envious too, she never had the chance to go to college.

"It's just, that deep down, I know I could have been a better sister to her." Dallas wiped a little tear from her right eye and kept going, "But you know mom, I've just never been strong enough to stand up to her, it's always been easier to just go along with everything she says, and well, I guess I lost a sister in the process." She looked at her brunette friend and said, "And the saddest part is, Madison hardly knows her. To her, Demi is just someone from her past whom she sees sporadically. Someone who sends her presents on her birthday, nothing more really" Her eyes were red with unshed tears by now, and she was slightly uncomfortable at her display of emotions "I'm sorry Sel, I didn't meant to go all sappy on you."

Selena stood up, went to her friend, and gave her the biggest hug ever, and this time she didn't complained. "No Dal you don't have to be sorry, I'm so glad you trust me with this, really, I am. But you need to do something about it, and I think I know how to start." She had the biggest, Cheshire-Cattiest, smile on her face.

"Oh no, you have a plan, don't you?" Dallas voice clearly denoted anxiety. She hated Selena's plans. They always ended up in blood and tears. Or as Taylor had once said: If Selena makes the plan, there's a 100% chance it won't work.

"Oh yes, I do have one, and it can beneficial to both you and me"

"What are you talking about?" Dallas was actually curious, but still not sure she should go along with this.

"Well, I need a place to hole up for a couple of weeks, somewhere the press won't even dream about looking for me," the Wizards star eyes shone "You need to find a way to reconnect with your sister, and she might not mind putting up with a paying houseguest to help pay the bills." She was intrigued with this middle Munroe, and she would meet her with or without Dallas' help.

"You're nuts, you know?" By now, Dallas was sobering up fast,

"Why? It's a good plan. I get my time away from this rat race, I get to help my bestie with her estranged sister, and I get to help said sister with her meager income, if what you said about her only having low-paying jobs is still true."

"Oh trust me, it still is" Dallas sighed, and continued, "That's why she wasn't here for Thanksgiving or Christmas, she couldn't afford the airfare, and she refused to use the tickets I bought her."

"Well, we need to change that, take out your phone and tell her I'm going to stay at her place for a couple of weeks."

"I have a really bad feeling about this." Dallas took out her phone, and reluctantly dialed her sister's number.

New York City

Demi was sitting near the window at Rick's Cafe Americain, sipping slowly her cup of Prima Lavado Coatepec, americano style, cream, no sugar. She really loved her coffee. It was one of the things she liked the most about New York, there's a coffee shop in every corner. Just like in Europe. Not that she had ever been to Europe, but she had read about it.

Watching the rain come down, especially with a nice, piping hot, cup of coffee was one of her greatest pleasures. But today it was different. She felt restless. It had been like that the whole day. Maybe it was the after-effect of being fired from yet another job, but it wasn't likely. She had been fired so many times it barely registered anymore. And somehow it had proven impossible to concentrate on the wanted ads, so she stopped trying.

When her berry started ringing, she stared at the caller id and had this weird feeling in the pit of her stomach, like suddenly she found herself in the presence of great evil.

"What do you want Dallas?"