TITLE: Answers

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.

"Hey Kiddo...Blood bag," Spike said to the new arrivals.

"Hey Spikey" Hope said. "I guess you realise he's back. And who are these people?" she asked her mother.

"Never mind who we are. Who are you?" Cordy said.

"She's Kiddo" Spike said helpfully.

"Real helpful, Chip-head" Xander commented.

Everyone kept looking from Buffy to Hope.

"Mom?" Joyce asked her daughter.

"Well you wanted to know what I've been doing" Buffy said, in a feeble attempt at humour.

Xander looked carefully at Hope and said, "What's she 12 or 13?"

"I'm 17, pain in the..." Hope began but didn't dare finish after Buffy gave her a, you've-gone-to-far look.

Cordy leaned over and whispered to Doyle, "Oh My God".

"What?" Doyle whispered back.

"Take a look at the kid. Who does she remind you of?"

Doyle looked, and then said, "Kinda reminds me of Angel".

"Right" Cordy replied. "And what happened over 17 years ago, that still has the power to send Angel into turbo brood?"

"You don't think..."

"What if those oracle-things didn't reverse everything?" Cordy said. Both Cordy and Doyle turned back to the conversation, to see if they were right.

With everyone staring at her, Buffy said "Get comfortable because I am only telling this story once, and no interruptions".

Everyone, including Hope and Dev got comfortable and awaited Buffy's story.

"It all began Thanksgiving of my freshman year at UCS" Buffy said. "As most of you remember I went to LA to visit my dad and to yell at Angel for stalking me". The Scoobies all nodded, and Joyce, Hope and Dev just sat there confused. "Well I was there 5 minutes and then I came straight home. I started to move on and everything was normal, except for the commandos, but they're a different story. However six or so weeks later I started to feel ooky and since Giles said slayers don't get sick unless something is really wrong, I went to the doctor. That's when I found out I was pregnant and so I went to see the father but found him with another girl, so I came home and a few days later I left because I couldn't take it anymore."

"Who's the father?" Giles asked, looking at Xander.

"I am" Angel spoke from the shadows.

"I don't believe this", Spike said. "You were gonna marry me, while you were carrying Peaches kid. Where's the loyalty".

Everyone sat there in silence until Angel asked her, "Do you remember..."

"Yeah. But I wasn't supposed to was I?" Buffy replied, close to tears.

"Wasn't supposed to remember what?" Giles asked confused.

"The day Angel was human, that he stupidly took back" Cordy interrupted.

That's when Angel said, "You should have told me".

"Like you'd have cared," Buffy said, crying and running from the room.

The End