A/N: This story is part of the annual NaNoWriMo Challenge. I really hope you all enjoy it, as I have had this story in my head for a few years now. Thanks again for all the support you all give me! You can find me on Tumblr & Facebook as Jelleykakes.

Prologue

Three forty-five a.m. couldn't have come any earlier for the sleep-deprived starlet... This was her life. Every morning. Wake up at the crack of ass just to get to the set and wait around for the 'powers that be' to show up, which was whenever they damn well-pleased… Emma knew she was becoming jaded, she couldn't get her foot on set without having some negative thought plaguing her mind. When on earth did things change?

What happened to the days when she couldn't sleep because she was so excited to get to the studio soundstage, or location, or wherever it was that they were filming? Oh yeah, that was when Gabi was still in her life.

Gabi.

Even thinking her name was messing with her mind. She didn't know which end was up, what was happening? No matter how hard she tried not to think of her, Emma's brain was on some codependent sort of autopilot.

That amazing fragrant, warm body, snuggled like the big spoon behind her, keeping her safe from all the scary things that went bump in the night. The scent was Dolce and Gabbana's Light Blue. It was their inside joke that Dolce made it just for them… Dolce and Gabbi, made especially for Emma's Light Blue eyes. Even the pillows had the tell-tale fragrance that lingered, no matter when they had been washed. Gods, they were so sappy. Their friends would jokingly accuse them of being so sweet that they would provoke cavities, just from being in their mere presence.

Gabi. Her love. Her life. Her everything for the past four years, they had been inseparable, but something was wrong.

The late nights got later, early mornings earlier, until she eventually started not even coming home at all. The excuses were solid. "Late night shoot", too tired to safely drive home. It made sense, right? The long hours were normal in Hollywood, why on earth would Emma suspect Gabi of anything unsavory?

Both women were incredibly hard-working, successful actors, and both were working on extremely popular television series. The blonde, portraying your stereotypical, hot, detective on a show that supposedly took place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the meth capital of the United States, while Gabi was the gorgeous, party girl on the number one sitcom, four years running.

They had been together since the night they met at their favorite club, The Abbey, in West Hollywood. From the moment they had that first dance, if you could call it a dance - it was probably more of a form of eye-fucking, followed by steamy sex that took place up against the wall - they became inseparable…

The same four years that Gabi was on the show, The same four years she was sleeping with her co-star. The same four years that Emma had been seriously duped…

End prologue

The water was boiling on the stove as Emma packed the last bit of her belongings that she deemed necessary for the next chapter of her life. Only the essentials, remember that this is a clean break. You can get anything you need when you arrive wherever it is that you are going. Her inner-monologue had been like this all day long. Every time she wanted to put something sentimental or unessential in her bags, she would remind herself that she was going to begin anew. A clean break.

Shit! Emma could smell the all-too-familiar scent of burning metal. She knew she was losing it, as this was the third failed attempt at simply boiling water for her ramen noodles. Yes, she was a grown adult, but still had a secret addiction to the infamous noodles that were the staple of almost every single college student in North America. Saving the pan from too much damage, she quickly added more water and waited - again - for the water to boil.

As she sat at the breakfast nook and leisurely ate her Oriental-flavored Top

Ramen, she played a few rounds of Cut the Rope on her iPhone. Emma knew that she was procrastinating, it was something she did so very well. But it was time to go. The note was already written. She had probably written it in her head a thousand times before she had the nerve to actually put the pen to the paper and make it real. Short and to the point. Nobody could ever accuse her of being too wordy.

"I am done. You will notice that the Bug is gone. It's mine now. I'm leaving basically everything else here. I don't feel like dealing with this shit, so you can deal with it in any way you please. Dump or donate it for all I care. Do not even bother looking for me. I don't even know where I am going to end up yet. I have NO DESIRE to ever see you again. I can already hear your words, telling me why we need to talk, that we 'need closure'. No closure necessary. You, fucking that bitch in our bed, closed the doors for me. I used to listen to your words. Lies, all of them. Stupid me believed you. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Like I have already said, I am done. With everything.

Goodbye Gabi.

Enjoy."

With the beloved Bug packed up and her final good-byes said, Emma was off. She opened the roof of her convertible and hit the road with only one clear thought in her mind. Get to the Hamptons. East Hampton, New York to be more specific. Beyond that, she honestly had no clue as to where she was going to end up.

Gabi was going to be so pissed off that she took the Bug. They had several cars, really nice ones as a matter of fact. But for some reason, Gabi loved that stupid yellow eye-sore, as she had dubbed it. Emma knew that Gabi was attached to it, and that was the main reason that she took it. Just to spite her.

The bitch had been sleeping with Jenna , and apparently for the duration of their entire relationship. While Emma had never once even thought to step out on her. Why would she? They were happy, weren't they? Well, Emma was. Gabi? Not so much, evidently.

There was little Emma could think to do that would really aggravate her soon-to-be ex. It didn't even occur to her until she walked out into the garage and started to pack the black Mercedes SUV that she should take the Volkswagen instead.

Sure, the Mercedes was a much nicer vehicle, but it wasn't about that. It was about her girlfriend's obsession with the little convertible. She was attached to it, and drove it whenever possible. The only reason she didn't have it with her today was because she was filming her scenes on location. A driver had picked her up in a Town Car this morning to ensure that she arrived to set in one piece. That was a standard procedure with the production company for the show that she was on. It also enabled Emma with the opportunity to take the car for herself, and "get outta Dodge", as it were. She wasn't generally an evil or particularly mean person, but she just couldn't resist. The blonde knew that it was the hurt dictating her actions, and she just couldn't find it within herself to even find two shits about it.

Payback is a bitch, karma, and all of that…

Sporting her favorite pair of sunglasses and hair blowing in the wind, Emma felt free. Deciding that she was going to drive straight through with as few rest stops as possible, she filled her gas tank and loaded up on snacks and drinks for what was predicted to be a forty-five hour drive, 2,875 miles long.

Of course those were the numbers given to her by a non-breathing piece of equipment that didn't account for the more human things, such as using the bathroom, eating food, and sleeping in a bed. Not that it really mattered, she had all the time in the world, since nobody was expecting her to arrive at a certain time or place.

Just then it dawned on the actress that she hadn't actually told her employer that she was leaving, so technically she was still expected to show up to set or her next calltime, which was in about seven hours.

"Fuck!" she yelled out loud to herself. How had she forgotten to call and quit her job? Oh yeah... stress. It had been taking its toll on the blonde, and she made the executive decision that she would seek out a new therapist first thing. Well, right after finding a place to stay.

God, she loved technology. While she had to do the "grown-up" thing and make that much-dreaded call to her boss, at least it could be done without having to pull over and stop the car. She used the voice-recognition program on her phone and had it call her employer's number without her ever even having to lift a finger or take her eyes off the road. Gotta be the responsible adult, after all…

Here goes nothing, she thought to herself.

The phone rang and was picked up after a short time by a very chipper-sounding woman. She knew that it was her boss, Gary's secretary. "Box-lite Productions. How may I be of assistance?" she asked in an overly-formal manner.

"Hey Char, it's me, Emma. I really need to speak to Gary. Is he available?"

"Always for you, Ms. Swan. Let me put you straight through to him. Hold on just one second, alright?" Charlotte responded with the sweet voice that she always reserved for Emma.

The woman had been a saint in all the years that they had worked together on the show. She had always gone above and beyond her call of duty as a secretary, and had really become much more than just a fellow employee. Char was now a good friend and Emma was definitely going to miss her.

"Jacobs," the voice interrupted her from her inner-musings.

"Hi Gary, it's me," Emma quietly responded.

"What's up, Buttercup?" he playfully joked with the blonde. Gary and Emma had also grown very close. He treated her like gold, with nothing but respect. It almost made her feel guilty for the reason behind this call.

Hell, who was she kidding? Emma felt so guilty for what she was about to do, that the blonde almost chickened-out and called the whole thing off. But she couldn't. This was for her, to save her. Life for the actress had majorly spiraled out of control, and if a change wasn't made soon, she was going to completely lose it.

"Emma, you still there?" Gary questioned, since the blonde had, as of yet, not uttered a single syllable.

"Yeah, yes…I'm still here."

"Are you okay, love?" Gary asked, truly concerned for his favorite employee now. She was never this quiet. It wasn't hard to tell that something was up. "Did something happen?"

"Yes, well no, well, yes. I honestly don't know Gary. This is the hardest call I have ever had to make. Let me just get it out before I forget how to speak."

"That sounds serious, sweetheart. Go on, I won't interrupt until you're finished."

"Thanks." Emma was silent for what felt like ages, as she pondered what to say next.

With a shaky voice, she continued on, "Gary. I am leaving. Like really leaving.. Permanently."

She paused and took a few deep breaths to keep it together. "Things have happened, well... they've changed. Gabi and I," her voice quivered, "we broke up, and I can't stay here anymore. I just need a clean break, to start fresh again." She took a deep breath before continuing, "This wasn't an easy decision, I need you to know that. I love this job, this place, these people. I mean… I no longer even consider it a job, but my life, and the people… They are my family. Especially you Gary. You have been there for me from day one, and have had an unwavering faith in me and my abilities. Even when I didn't." She added with a soft murmur.

He sat there quietly as he took her words in before shockingly responding, "Wow love, I knew that there were some things going on with you lately… But, this is a complete and total surprise to me."

"I know, and I'm really sorry," Emma said as she steered over to the exit and pulled into the parking lot of a nearby strip mall, the tears in her eyes making it unsafe to drive.

"Emma... You don't need to apologize to me for this. I have known you for years, and not once have you made a rash decision. If you feel that this truly is the best thing for you to do, then I will honor that decision. It doesn't change the fact that I will be terribly sad to lose your amazing talent and to see you leave. You are like the daughter that I never had."

After Gary's heartfelt speech, Emma was a mess, sobbing in her car, completely out of sorts. She was finally starting to feel the reality of the situation setting in, and it felt like she was hit by a ton of bricks.

Gary continued on with a question they both dreaded the answer to, "So, how much longer do I have you for?"

Emma sighed and answered honestly, "You don't."