TITLE: Finding

AUTHOR: Kelly Rowe

DISCLAIMER: Buffy, Angel and all other characters (except those I make up) are the absolute property of Joss Whedon, Fox, Mutant Enemy and Warner Bros (If I owned them, the events of Buffy season 4 or most of season 3 wouldn't have occurred).

RATING: PG

SPOILERS: General (if any)

TIMELINE: Over 17 years after IWRY

DISTRIBUTION: You want you can have it, just tell me where you put it.

All eyes in the room turned to Spike. Finally Angel broke the silence by saying, "You know?"

"Yeah" Spike muttered.

"How long have you known?" Giles asked him, barely reigning in his temper.

"Fifteen years, give or take a few months," Spike answered.

"Fifteen years? Why didn't you tell us?" Joyce yelled. "You knew how worried we were".

"Duh, people. I'm evil" Spike replied. Receiving glares from everyone, he said "Do you want to know or not? Because if I tell, Fluffy will kick my butt, so now I'm thinking telling you isn't a good idea".

"Spike tell or I'll stake your sorry..." Cordy said, quickly.

"Ok, I get the message. Well I was passing through..."

"Spike, we don't want your life story. Just give us the name of the town" Angel told him, with barely restrained anger.

"Oakdale"

Xander recognising the name of the town said, "You're telling us that Buffy has been living less than two hours away from us for the past fifteen years at least".

"Yeah" Spike repeated.

"Why are you telling us this now?" Giles asked, suspiciously.

"Because hangin' with you white hats has turned me into a bloody poof like Peaches" Spike complained.

"Hey" Angel said, offended.

Choosing to ignore the bickering, Joyce demanded, "Give us her address".

"I don't have it written down, I recognise it by sight. When I talk to Slayer it's usually by phone" Spike told her.

"Then give us her number" Joyce screamed in frustration.

"No" Spike simply stated.

"Why not?" Willow asked.

"Because if you want to yell at her, you do it in person".

"Why?" Willow asked, again.

"Well, this way she can't hang up on you" Spike replied.

"Whoa, someone break out the champagne, Spike actually had an idea" Xander piped up, sarcastically.

"That's still one more than you've ever had boy" Spike told Xander.

Ignoring them, Joyce asked, "When do we leave?"

"Since Spike is our tour guide, I think as soon as it's dark tonight," Giles replied.

"I agree" Angel said, as did everyone else.

As the Scoobies left to go to their hotel and Cordy and Doyle went home, Angel sat in his office alone thinking about the Buffy he used to know and wondering what she was like now.

Buffy was at that moment lying awake in her bed, thinking of Angel. She'd been doing that a lot lately and she wasn't sure why. Was it because everyday Hope reminded her more and more of him? Was it that she wished he'd been selfish and was here with her now, instead of reversing the day? Of course there was the other option, that she was just crazy. Her reverie was broken by the sound of the front door opening and closing, followed by the creaking of the stairs.

"Hey" Buffy said, as Hope tried to sneak past.

"Hey" Hope replied, "Sorry I'm late but there was heaps of..."

"You and Dev stopped to make out after every vamp you slayed," Buffy told her.

"Wow, are you psychic or something?" Hope asked, wondering how her mom knew.

"Nope, just remembering my old patrolling days," Buffy said.

"Don't get offended by this or anything mom, but why am I suddenly turning into you?"

"Genetics".

"Great, I'm doomed" Hope said, dramatically.

"Cheer up, you're a lot smarter than me. You won't make the same mistakes I did" Buffy said, sadly.

Hope walked over to the bed and hugged her mother. "You know what, if I turn out to be half the woman you are, I'll be happy," she told her.

"Thanks, I needed to hear that," Buffy said, sniffling slightly.

"No problem", Hope said. "Night mom, I love you".

"Love you too" Buffy said settling down.

Both women then went to sleep, totally unaware for what the next few days would bring.

The End