DISCLAIMER: Buffy, Angel and the gang belong to the evil Joss and I only own the characters I make up. In a perfect world however I would own all of them, Buffy and Angel wouldn't have broken up and Riley would never have existed.
SUMMARY: Angel tells Hope about LA.
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.
NOTES: I haven't included anything from season 5 because:
1. I live in Australia and won't see the episodes until early next year.
2. From what I've heard about the Darla part, it's not something someone would tell their 17 year old daughter.

"Well..." Hope pushed.

"Where should I start?" Angel asked, not really wanting to tell Hope everything.

"That Thanksgiving. Not what happened, just why you turned the day back and we'll go from there" Hope replied.

"Why I turned the day back. After I got my butt kicked by the demon, I went to see the Oracles they told me that Buffy would die if I wasn't a vampire and I couldn't live in a world with no Buffy. So I turned the day back" Angel looked over at his daughter, he saw her eyes tear up. "Hope, are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine. I just can't believe you gave up everything you ever wanted for her" Hope said, trying not to cry.

"Well, if I'd realised just what I was giving up, I might not have" Angel told her truthfully.

Hope calmed herself down and said, "Enough of the mushy stuff. Tell me something else".

"Well...Doyle, Cordy and I rescued a bunch of demons from a demon purification army" Angel told her.

"Cool, you guys are like heroes" Hope said, slightly in awe.

They arrived at the local park and sat on the closest bench before Angel continued.

"Just like you" Angel told her.

"Nope. I have to it's destiny. You don't therefore you're heroes" Hope clarified.

"I had to for my redemption and Doyle was my link to the PTB" Angel said, trying to lose the hero worship angle, he didn't want her to think he was something he wasn't.

"In that case Cordy's the heroine and you two guys are like her sidekicks" Hope teased.

"Hey, that's not funny" Angel said.

"So..." Hope prodded again.

"Cordy and I rescued Doyle from and auction where he was sold as a seer and they were about to remove his eyes" Angel replied. He looked at Hope and notice she'd paled and looked as though she may throw up. "What's wrong?" he asked her.

"EEWWW. That's so gross".

"As the slayer you do stuff like..." Angel began.

"Hang on a second, I have never removed or tried to remove anything's eyes" Hope told him.

"But something good came out of it. It brought Cordy and Doyle together" Angel replied.

"That does not cancel out that eye-thing" Hope said, still grossed out.

"Ok, I get it. I've scarred you for life" Angel said, dryly.

Desperate to get away from the eye topic, Hope said "Then..."

"I fought a vamp, next subject" Angel told her quickly. Hope looked at him and said, "I get it".

"Get what?" Angel asked, hoping she hadn't guessed correctly.

"The vamp was one of yours" Hope replied, matter-of-factly.

"Yeah" Angel said, stunned that she'd known. "Nothing much happened after that, and evil kid, a few vamp problems and I was kidnapped and forced to fight for my life..."

"What?" Hope said, cutting him off.

"It wasn't much" Angel told her.

"Why don't I believe you" Hope replied.

"I helped Faith..."

He was cut off again, "The psycho? I though she was in a coma".

"She woke up, she's in jail paying for her crime" Angel explained.

"Ok, but don't tell mom it'll freak her out" Hope said,

"Then..."

"More vamps, stopped an assassin from killing some blind kids. Then we found an important prophecy and my apartment blew up" Angel finished, leaving some stuff out.

"Not much for 17 years" Hope commented.

"Actually that was my first year in LA" Angel replied.

"You know what, don't tell me anymore. I don't want to or need to hear anymore, because it's just gonna get more disgusting" Hope told him.

"Ok" Angel said, relieved.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes before Hope said,

"Maybe we should head back?"

"Sure" Angel said, getting up.

As they headed back to the house, Angel then realised he hadn't made a decision, or had he?

Go to the next story Decisions

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