Content:If you can watch the show you can read this
Summary:Buffy's on the run from her past and the police
Disclaimer:Joss Whedon, the Wb and Fox own everything on Buffy

The Thereafter

by:Traiste

Buffy Summers looked at her self in the mirror. *God I look terrible*, she thought. Well no wonder, a cruel voice in the back of her mind whispered, you've cried half of the way on this trip and you haven't slept more than fifteen minutes at a time. Mentally Buffy squashed down that voice while she leaned over the sink to splash a handful of cool water on her face. It was true though. She cried as much as she would allow herself so that she wouldn't draw unwanted attention on the crowded Greyhound bus. And when she finally managed to doze off she'd dream of Angel and the look on his face when she had damned him to hell. After a while she had given up on sleeping because it just brought more pain. That was the past, and she had to look toward the future.

It was a few days after her tearful reunion with her love. A few days after she had to leave Sunnydale and everything she loved. Now she was in a truck-stop restroom trying to get a grip on herself so she could step back on to the bus cool, calm and collected. Buffy had no clue where she was going. Maybe somewhere she could work discreetly. Or maybe she could go live with her father.

She picked up a diet Coke and a Snickers bar and walked up to the cash register. As the clerk began to ring up items Buffy's attention was drawn to the news report that was on the television that was sitting on a stool behind the counter.

Faintly she could hear the reporter's voice, "was reported missing two days ago by her mother, Ms. Summers. Ms. Summers claimed that her daughter claimed to have not committed the crime but refused to talk to the police. They got into an argument and Buffy stormed out. Her mother hasn't seen her since." A picture of Sunnydale High school appeared on the screen. "A day before Buffy ran away she was found at the scene of a bloody and sad murder. Police attempted to arrest her but she escaped." A few month old picture of herself flashed onto the screen. "Buffy Summers is a seventeen year old female with shoulder length blonde hair and blue eyes. She is approximately five feet, five inches in height and has a slim figure. She should be regarded as extremely dangerous and if is seen , she should be reported to your local police."

"Miss?"

Buffy looked sharply at the clerk. "That will be one fifty-eight, please."

Stunned, Buffy handed the clerk a five-dollar bill. She collected her change, grabbed her food and rushed out the door. The clerk watched her go and shook his head and turned to watch the sport reviews that were on the television.

Buffy hurried onto the bus and found her seat. Staring out the window she thought about what she had just seen. *This means they know I'm gone and they're looking for me. Well I'll just have to hide harder.*

continues