Disclaimer: See Prologue.

Chapter 12: The Moment of Truth

Brandon had jumped up to greet Andrea when she came though the door. Andrea was taken slightly aback by how happy he seemed to be to see her. It made her feel a lot worse about what was coming. He may be smiling that smile now, but give her a couple of hours…

Brandon was glad Andrea had come. He felt like there was a lot left unsaid last night at the reunion. He'd been shocked by her revelation, and it had distracted him from what he really wanted to say. He wanted to apologise to her properly for hurting her all those years ago. He'd missed Andrea's friendship very much. He'd made a lot of stupid mistakes since he'd seen her, and there had been times when he felt like he really needed to talk to her.

Out of all his friends, she'd always been the one who he could consistently count on. He felt like Steve at times put him on a pedestal. It made it hard to confess to him that he'd screwed up. With Dylan it sometimes felt like he had too much on for Brandon to unburden his soul onto him. After he and Kelly had become a couple, it formed a wedge in his friendship with Dylan. Dylan and Brenda's break-up had also furthered their rift. Brenda had obviously been very messed up afterwards – Brandon knew she'd been put on anti-depressants and had talked to a counsellor for a while. It all added up. They were still friends, but not the way they had been.

Now Andrea Zuckerman, he could talk to her and she'd listen. She wouldn't judge him, she wouldn't think any less of him - she'd just be there. He missed that when she left, even before she left. Things had just gone downhill after the Prom. They barely spoke two words after agreeing to forget about the Prom, unless they had to. Brandon had tried to carry on as normal, but Andrea had pulled away. At the time he'd felt sufficiently awkward about everything to not push the point with her. He thought they'd work it out at some point. They had to.

But they didn't, and she left. He tried to get her new number and address from her grandmother, but Rose had refused. Brandon had been surprised at how cold she'd been with him, first on the phone, and then in person when he'd shown up at her apartment, hoping he could change her mind. Had Andrea told her grandmother what had happened? Brandon remembered blushing at the thought when it had occurred to him.

At one point, after Christmas, he'd considered flying out to New Haven. He'd called it off at the last minute when he became busy with the Task Force. He regretted that now. He should have gone, and straightened things out. If he had known back then that it would be over nine years until he saw her again he would have gone in a heartbeat.

But now here she was! It was a chance to maybe try and salvage their friendship. He wasn't sure if that would be possible, but he was optimistic. She had been willing to talk to him last night. He had half expected her to dump the punch bowl over his head when he'd approached her at the refreshment table. He wouldn't have blamed her either. For the ten thousandth time he kicked himself for acting like such an idiot after the Prom.

Andrea was in full panic mode. She had rehearsed what she'd say on the car in the way over. She'd casually ask him if she could talk to him, and then calmly and reasonably explain to him that she'd become pregnant after their little rendezvous but had felt it best not to tell him at the time.

Yeah right! She could barely make eye contact with him, let alone casually sashay up to him and ask for a quick word. Last night was easy because the moment of truth was some random time-point in the future that she didn't have to worry about. Now it was here. Suddenly having "the power to destroy his life at any given moment" wasn't so funny anymore. Instead it was absolutely terrifying.

Andrea's thoughts were interrupted by Brandon himself of all people. He was asking everyone to come into the kitchen so they could start eating. Everyone began to head to the kitchen. Andrea reluctantly followed. Right now eating wasn't exactly on top of her list. She felt sick to her stomach.

Crossing the hall she met up with Brenda again. Brenda noticed how agitated she was. She squeezed her hand. Andrea looked at her gratefully. At least someone was on her side. She had a feeling Steve and the others might chase her from the house if Brandon shouted the house down when she done with her news.

Everyone tucked into the food eagerly apart from Brenda and Andrea. Dylan noticed Brenda wasn't eating much, and Brandon noticed Andrea wasn't eating much.

Brandon was worried. Looking closely at her, she did look a little unwell. He leaned over to her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, giving her a concerned look. He rubbed his hand lightly up and down the side of her arm.

That was the last straw. Damn him!

She felt like melting under his gaze. She wasn't Andrea Zuckerman: 27 year old respected journalist and mother anymore, in that moment she became Andrea Zuckerman: 17 and hopelessly in-love all over again. She gazed back at him, lost in eyes, for what felt like a long time.

Suddenly she snapped out of it.

"I'm fine," she said curtly.

What the hell was she doing? This was Brandon Walsh! The man she'd hated passionately for the last 10 years! Those damn puppy-dog eyes. The same eyes Hannah used to get what she wants.

"Hannah." Thinking about her daughter brought Andrea back into focus again. She couldn't go on like this. She was either gonna have to tell him as soon as possible or she was gonna drive herself crazy. Or throw-up all over the floor. Or both!

She was preparing herself to ask him could she talk to him, when he surprised her. He asked her first.

"Andrea, do you think we could talk in private for a minute?"

She was stunned.

"Oh God, he knows!" was her first thought.

But no, he didn't look angry or upset. He looked… apprehensive? Nervous?

She nodded her head in answer to his question, and managed to splutter out a garbled word that sounded like "sure".

Brandon looked around. Brenda, Donna and David were chatting at the kitchen table, Dylan and Kelly had taken their food into the living room, and the back-door was open and Steve and Janet's voices could be heard coming from outside. There didn't seem to be anywhere quiet. He'd have to take Andrea upstairs.

Brandon led her to the stairs. She followed him up, and into his old bedroom. She couldn't help noticing as she looked around the room that it looked nothing like it had when Brandon was in high school. There was nothing very personal in the room now. It looked like any other generic guest-room.

Brandon gestured for her to take a seat on the bed. She complied. He paced up and down in front of her for a few seconds, and then stopped and knelt down in front of her.

"Andrea, I want you to know something," he began, but then paused.

Andrea felt extremely nervous. She knew it was now or never. What did Brandon want her to know though?

"I'm sorry," he finished, looking her straight in the eye. He continued.

"I was stupid. I know it doesn't forgive the way I acted or what I said, but I was a kid back then, and I was scared. I didn't want to screw up our friendship and I panicked. You were my best friend Andrea. I didn't want to lose that. I know I went about it in the wrong way now. I've thought about it a lot over the years. I've made a lot of mistakes Andrea, but the one I really regret is losing your friendship."

Oh crap.

He couldn't have saved the heartfelt speech until another time? Perfect. Now she felt absolutely horrible. Here he was pouring his heart out, and she was about to stamp all over it and tell him she'd just denied him nine years of his daughter's life. Fan-bloody-tastic.

This was so much easier to think about when she was mad at him, when she felt like spitting at him if she ever saw him again. She'd tell him and they'd scream at each other, getting all their anger out. Now looking at him, she felt like throwing her arms around him and hugging him. It finally occurred to her how much this news was going to hurt him, as well as anger him.

She wanted to jump up and run out of the house. Preparing to floor him with the news that he has a daughter he never knew about and face his angry wrath was awful; preparing to devastate him with the news that he has a daughter that he never knew about and break his heart was unbearable.

Suddenly she wanted to cry. He was still looking at her with those eyes, a hopeful glint visible. He genuinely missed her and cared about her and wanted to make everything okay. Why couldn't he have looked at her like that ten years ago? Back then it had been all she wanted. Now it was just like a knife to her chest.

Tears began to form in the corner of her eyes. She couldn't help it. A stray tear trickled down her face. Brandon noticed this immediately.

"Andrea?" he asked, concerned.

She looked away. She couldn't bear to look at him.

Brandon looked at her, distressed. He hadn't meant to upset her.

"Andrea?" he began again gently, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

That was it. She couldn't take this anymore.

She jumped up. He got up too. She looked at him briefly but then closed her eyes, trying to find the strength to say this.

"Brandon, there's something I never told you. After the Prom… I found out I was pregnant. That's why I didn't talk to you over the summer. That's why I never got in touch with you after I left for Yale." She said it quickly, and her voice was shaking. She looked at him desperately, searching his face for his reaction.

He felt like he'd been punched in the stomach.

"I was pregnant." He heard it over and over in his head. "I was pregnant."

Something else flashed through his mind.

"We moved there after I finished up at college."

"We?"

"Me and my daughter."

"Me and my daughter," he said, barely audible.

He suddenly felt like laughing. He'd been freaking out about some imaginary man, the father of Andrea's child. He'd hated him from the second he learned such a person existed. He'd been jealous of himself. God, what an idiot he was!

Why didn't he suspect anything? Why hadn't he tried harder when Andrea pushed him away? Looking back, it was obvious there was something wrong now. The way her grandmother had treated him! That alone should have tipped him off.

He should have flown out to see her, but he wimped out. He used to the Task Force as his excuse because he was scared, scared that she'd tell him to drop dead, that she'd slam her door in his face. If he'd have gone, he would have known. It would have been obvious. She would have been showing then, probably about to give birth to his daughter.

His daughter.

"I have a daughter," he thought, shocked as it finally hit him. He sank down onto the bed, staring straight ahead, an incredulous look on his face.

Andrea watched him in tears. She felt totally helpless. She caused him to feel this way. She could see it in his eyes; he was devastated. She wanted to scream at herself for being so stupid. She should have told him. She should have told him!

Brandon realised that Andrea was there, standing in front of him. He stared at fists. Suddenly he felt angry. She should have told him! He had a right to know! How could she keep that from him!

He looked up at her, his eyes flashing with anger. He saw her crying, tears streaming down her face, and his anger faded. She hadn't told him because he'd hurt her so much. He knew he had. Hadn't he spent the last ten years regretting that? He brought her up here to apologise for it!

"This is a mess," Brandon finally thought. One minute he was a single guy with minimal commitments, who was hoping to reconnect with an old friend, and then suddenly he was a father, and the mother of his child was standing in front of him crying her eyes out. How did this happen? How did he, Brandon Walsh, end up here?

Andrea was crying bitterly, angry with herself for doing this to him. He didn't deserve this. He'd always been such a good friend to her, right from the beginning. How did they get here? How could she let them get here?

A moment later she was taking some deep breaths and wiping her tears from her face. She needed to calm down. She wasn't helping matters.

Brandon was still sitting on the bed, his head in his hands. Andrea sat down gingerly beside him. She debated whether to say anything, or wait for him to speak first. She patted his back, hoping the gesture would bring him some comfort.

Andrea's actions roused Brandon, bringing him out of his own thoughts. He looked up at her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked. The question was redundant. He knew why she didn't tell him. For some reason he needed to hear her say it though.

"After what happened at the Prom, I was hurt. When I woke up and you were gone, when you didn't call, when you said it was a mistake and you wished it hadn't happened," Andrea said, beginning to cry again in spite of herself.

"I just felt so totally worthless Brandon," she continued, tears beginning to stream down her face again.

Brandon could feel tears running down his face too. The tone of her voice – she sounded so sad, so heartbroken, and it was him who made her feel that way.

"I'm sorry," Brandon told her, speaking through his tears.

This made Andrea cry harder.

"No Brandon. I'm sorry. I should tol…" she began, but couldn't finish. Her sobs had overwhelmed her.

He put his arms around her and pulled her to him. She buried her head in his chest. They sat like that for a long time, sobbing together, sharing their pain, each wanting to console the other. They may have stayed like that forever, but a knock on the door interrupted them.

The noise brought them both back to reality. They jumped apart. Andrea wiped her face desperately, aware she probably looked dreadful. Brandon did the same. He didn't look much better than Andrea.

The door opened, and Kelly peaked her head around the door.

"There you are!" she began, but froze when she saw the scene in front of her.

Brandon and Andrea were both clearly upset. Andrea looked like she'd been crying, and so did Brandon for that matter. Kelly felt concerned. What had been going on?

"Are you guys okay?" she asked.

"Um, yeah," Brandon replied. "What do you want?"

"Oh, David brought the video yearbook from high-school. We're all gonna watch it," Kelly said.

"Okay," Brandon said.

Kelly nodded her head and closed the door.

Brandon turned and looked at Andrea. She looked more composed.

"You okay to go down?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied.

He began walking to the door. She stayed where she was.

"No," she called out. "No, I don't think I am," she admitted.

"Me either," he said and laughed, more out of relief than anything else.

She couldn't help smiling. It felt good, after all the crying she'd just done.

"So, what happens now?" Brandon asked.

"I'm not sure. I've never done this before" Andrea joked.

Brandon smiled, and then something occurred to him. He knew nothing about his daughter.

"What's her name?" he asked.

"Hannah," Andrea answered, smiling.

Hannah. His daughter's name was Hannah. He broke out into a big grin.

"When's her birthday?"

"January 23rd."

They both sat back down on the bed, forgetting about everyone else below. Brandon had a million and one questions to ask Andrea. They spoke for hours, Brandon wanting to know every detail about what he'd missed.

By the time Andrea had left, they'd arranged to meet tomorrow, and Andrea was going to bring Hannah.

Brandon couldn't believe this. This morning his main concern was that nobody would drop any food on the expensive new rugs his parents had bought. Now he had a daughter, and he was going to meet her tomorrow. What a difference a day makes.

Author's Notes: I had intended to go through both Brandon and Andrea's conversation in this chapter and Dylan and Brenda's. Brandon and Andrea's conversation took on a life of its own though! I think Dylan and Brenda deserve their own chapter anyway, so their story will be dealt with in the next chapter.