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.
RATING: PG
SPOILERS: General (if any)
TIMELINE: Ten years after the wedding (part of long ago series).
DISTRIBUTION: You want you can have it, just tell me where you put it.

A Few Weeks Later:

Hope turned up for work and was making it through barely, she didn't quite remember high school being this bad. At lunch time she headed to the library to meet Rick for lunch, she paused outside the door when she heard yelling coming from inside.

"It's not fair" a young girl cried, "Every other girl can date, why not me?"

"You just can't the council won't allow it. You have a sacred duty..." Rick started to say.

"Well, screw the vampires and my duty..."

Hope quickly pulled her ear away from the door, she couldn't believe it she was dating the new slayer's watcher. Hope walked away from the library as quickly as she could, all the time wondering what she was going to do. Should she tell or stay silent?

*

That night Hope told Spike what was going on. "Ha-ha" Spike laughed. "I told ya not to date the wanker".

"Oh yes, it's all totally my fault because I ignored the all mighty Spike's advice" Hope replied sarcastically.

"Well I'm glad that you realise it" Spike said moving away from Hope in case she retaliated.

Hope was about to tell Spike where to shove his advice when a familiar feeling washed over her. < It can't be? > she thought.

"What is it? A vamp or a demon?" Spike asked seeing the look on her face.

"A vamp" she answered, "A particularly scummy vamp".

"Scummy? How exactly is this vamp, scummy?" Spike asked wondering if this was Hope's subtle way of telling him he needed a bath.

"It's Dev" was all Hope said as she walked away.

Spike decided to check the situation out, he spotted Bloodbag (as Spike called him) walking with a young girl. Spike wondered what was up with that until he saw the girl dust two vamps. < Aaahhh, so Bloodbag still has a thing for underage slayers > Spike thought evilly and couldn't wait to tell everyone that. His mind was changed when he realised how the news might effect Hope, he knew that even though she denied it she still had strong feelings for Bloodbag. Not knowing what else to do Spike went off in search of the nearest tavern.

*

Hope arrived home and found a note from Joyce saying she was at Giles'. Since she was all alone and needed to talk to someone, she called the one person she'd always counted on, her mom.

"Hello?" Buffy answered.

"Hi mom" Hope said sadly.

"What's wrong?" Buffy asked hearing the sadness in her daughter's voice.

"Everything" Hope told her.

"Care to elaborate? I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong" Buffy replied.

"Well, this guy I've been dating...he's the new slayer's watcher, but I didn't realise it until this morning".

"You're dating some old British guy?" Buffy asked in shock.

"No, he's a young Irish guy" Hope replied.

"How young is young?" Buffy asked suspiciously.

"A year or so older than me" Hope answered wondering what was up with her mom's line of questioning.

Buffy calmed down and said, "How come I never got a cute watcher?"

"It wouldn't have mattered, you still would've had eyes only for dad" Hope told her.

Buffy laughed, "You're right". A minute later she asked, "Does he know about you?"

"No" Hope replied.

"Then tell him" was Buffy's advice.

"I am, tomorrow" Hope said realising it was true.

"Anything else wrong?" Buffy asked.

"Well...Grandma is having sex with Giles" Hope said.

After Buffy finished choking she said, "Again?"

"Again? That is so gross" Hope answered.

"No kidding" Buffy said. "Anything else happening in dreary old Sunnydale?"

"I think Dev's in town" Hope said quietly, trying not to sound upset.

"Are you sure?" Buffy asked concerned. She remembered what Hope went through when that relationship ended.

"I felt him" she whispered to her mother.

"Honey, I wish I could tell you what to do, but I don't know" Buffy said.

"I know. I'd better go, tomorrow is a school day" Hope replied.

"Bye sweetie. I love you" Buffy told her.

"Love you too" Hope said as she hung up.

In LA Buffy was sitting by her living room window staring out at the view of LA, and she began to worry about how her baby girl would handle this uncomfortable situation.

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