A/N: This chapter is a fair bit angstier than usual. I guess I'm just a little depressed or something. The next chapter should be back to the status quo, but I got a little heavy here. It's the drawback of not structuring your stuff so much. My writing is mercy to the whims of my emotion. And my ability to make the plot fit in. I have other scenes I could put in here, but with this kinda depressing opening, it'll just suck the fun right out. So be thankful for the update. No betas.

Disclaimer: I just realised that this fic seems to share a lot of similarities with Living History, a far superior (and complete) fic out there. You should check it out, it's pretty hilarious. I hope to write this half so good as that.

XXX

Old…friends?

"Hey there. I'm not sure who's going to find this, or even if anyone has found this. If you find this sphere, which should be theoretically possible as the panel I stored it in only reaches a heat quotient of 78 milteps and it takes a good 84 to melt a tekcode.

I haven't got long before the others notice I'm missing so I'll be succinct. This is the real reason I stayed behind. I'm in love with Angel. I know what I told all of you on the official tape, but I have to let the truth be known.

I don't want him to know. I know it wouldn't work -- I'm not his type. I'm happy to love him from a distance, without his knowing. I know him, if he knew it'd just be awkward. He's still in love with Cordelia Chase. I know that because Spike told me. It's ironic that he has a go at Spike for never getting over the Buffy when he's the same with the famous Seer.

Anyway, I just wanted you to know the truth. I want to do my part, keep the new world true. I've got to get back before they realise I'm missing. There's only a little time left. Live well, people. Don't hide your feelings like I've done for so long.

XXX

Whistler took a deep, calming breath before appearing in the kitchen where Angel and the kids from the other future stood examining the groceries. He'd approach them first. Less chance of getting himself thrown through a window. Wait, groceries. That's bad. That means they went out, which means that they might have screwed everything up already.

"What's this?" one of the girls, a pretty young thing, about 20, asked, holding up a small container.

Angel looked a little sheepish. "That's… hair gel."

Spike's, it had to be Spike's, sardonic laughter echoed in the cavernous space. "I knew it wouldn't take you long, Peaches," the peroxide blond mocked as he entered the large, elegant room. "You're far too- you!"

Whistler never heard what Angel was far too much of because the newly human Spike hurtled across the kitchen and slammed his elbow into the messenger's face, causing the redhead to drop to the ground in an undignified heap. The immortal demon slowly rose to his feet and rubbed his jaw and cast a wounded look at Spike.

"What was that for? I didn't even say anything yet," Whistler complained.

"The last time," Spike said hollowly.

Of course, the demon realised. From the look on Angel's face, neither of the former vampires would ever forgive him his part in Misha's death sixty years prior. The fact that he hadn't known what was going to happen, that he'd simply passed on the message he'd been given. She'd died, the last surviving member of the Summers line, and it'd happened because of the message he'd passed on. They'd never forgive him.

"Why are you here?" Angel asked tersely.

"And who are you?" the other guy in the kitchen asked, his dark eyes shining with confusion.

"I'm sor-"

"Save it," Angel ordered, cutting off Whistler's attempted apology.

The demon sighed sadly. "My news ain't great."

"When is it ever?" Spike bitterly asked.

"The PTB pulled a fast one," Whistler told them. "This world ain't the paradise you've been thinking. It's a lot like your old one, pre-Hellmouth opening. The Slayer, pretty young blonde thing, took out the Master in this dimension but she was fated to be killed by the Anointed One some time in the next few months."

"What happened to our reward for fighting for so long?" Angel asked acerbically.

"Yeah, well, you wouldn't leave behind the mortals - no offence," he nodded at the four confused young dimension hoppers, "so the PTB decided that meant you were signing up for another tour o' service."

"Wait, why would the Anointed One be a problem in this dimension when he wasn't in ours?" Angel asked.

"The pretty little Slayer ain't got you or Spike lookin' out for her here."

"Why'd they send you?" Spike asked coldly.

"Cause Darla ain't dead in this dimension either, and I doubt that she'd find Angel here any less appealin' here than she did in your own dimension."

"That doesn't answer his question," Angel growled.

Whistler sighed. "I guess they thought you'd appreciate a friendly face."

"Then they could have done better," Spike sneered.

"Get everyone together," Whistler said briskly, hiding behind efficiency. "I still have a message to deliver."

XXX

"Okay," Whistler said to the assembled group. "The PTB have set you all up somewhere, so you have something to do. Derek, you're going to be a Junior in the Sunnydale high school. Your classes start on Monday, just get Spike or Angel to drop you off. You're a smart fella, you'll figure it out."

Derek blinked a few times. "O…kay…"

"Anna, you'll be with Derek."

Anna's eyes blazed with curiosity as she nodded firmly.

"Angie-"

"Ooh! Am I some kind of super Slayer? Chasing down demons and slaying them?" she asked excitedly, squirming in her seat.

"Not so much. You'll be in your seventh year at high school. Mary."

"Yeah?" she asked apprehensively.

"I got you a job in a coffee shop. You should be able to pick it up pretty easily with your training."

Mary nodded contentedly, not noticing the muffled snickers from Spike.

"Angel, Spike, we didn't set anything up for you. Your bank accounts should have enough to live on."

"You mean to tell me," Spike began dangerously. "You mean to tell me that the Poof and myself are un-bloody-employed?"

Whistler considered the question a moment. "Yes."

Spike blinked, then contemplated. "Fair enough."

XXX

"You wanna talk about it?" Mary asked the brooding Angel quietly.

"I thought it was Anna who asked the questions."

"I'm the one who listens," Mary said with a soft smile, dropping down opposite the big man. "Who was he?"

"That was Whistler," Angel murmured curtly. When Mary looked offended and made as though to leave, Angel sighed. "It's his fault Misha died."

"Who was Misha?"

"You know about Buffy." Angel waited for the affirming nod. "She had a little sister, named Dawn. A few years after Buffy died in a car accident, Dawn had a baby. A little boy. Michael. When Dawn died in labour with her second kid, years down the track, Spike and I started to look after Mike. We watched him grow up and have kids, and them grow up and have their kids and so on."

Angel paused, lost in the memories and Mary was silent for a change, sensing Angel's reluctance.

"Then, when the Hellmouth opened, any members with the Summers blood were hunted by the rogue Slayers and demons. Spike and I did our best, but we couldn't protect them all. Eventually there was only one left. Little Misha. She was only 9 years old. Whistler came, brought us a message. It told us where the tracking demons nested. Spike and I took off to kill these demons, to protect Misha only while we were gone demons overran our safe haven. The Powers That Be decided that Misha was somehow too dangerous and arranged for us to be away when the attack came."

"That's terrible," Mary breathed.

"It hit Spike hard. We both fell in love with Buffy, but I moved on. Spike never did. Misha was all he had left of Buffy, and he failed her. That was when Spike started the death runs. I think he was trying to get himself killed."

XXX

Spike sat on the window sill and stared out into the night moodily, cradling his sore knuckles. Violence just wasn't as easy as a human. The ex-vampire glanced at Derek, who leaned against the wall leisurely, and decided not to break the comfortable silence. It was one thing that Derek was good at; knowing when not to talk.

"Oh my Tel!" Angie shrieked happily from the kitchen.

Spike and Derek shared a look before getting up and heading towards the moans of the hyperactive Slayer. When they reached the room they had to stifle a snicker. Angie had her hands wrist deep in the ice cream punnet, the ice cream smeared haphazardly all over her face which had an expression of intense bliss.

"This is the bestest stuff EVER!" she squealed, before diving back into the container with gusto.

XXX

Depressingly Primitive Recording of Past Events as They Probably Occurred

Annalisa Mevirium Telomire

Entry I

Humble reader,

I have consigned myself to using these disgustingly simplistic tools for the purpose of recording our travails. I believe Angel referred to them as 'books' and he seemed fond of them, as antiquated and inaccurate as they may be. Spike expressed much derision towards these 'books' which has led me to believe that they have some undisclosed flaws in their ability to express the truth of events.

It has only been a handful of hours and yet we have learned and/or established much of great import. Among these things we have established that Spike has a very attractive body. His skin appears to be surprisingly supple for someone having lived over five hundred years.

I have been assured that, while demons are present here, they have neither the numbers nor strength of demons from our world. This is highly reassuring, as all of the structures of this world are built with aesthetics in mind over functionality.

The final, and most important, thing that we have uncovered is the existence of a substance called Iced Cream. It is surely a product of magic as no work of human hand could create an ambrosia such as this.

I will return later, good reader, as if I am not quick Angie will demolish the remains of the Iced Cream. She eats a truly prodigious amount for a person her size, even a Slayer.

XXX

A/N: There it is. Another update, and one much gloomier than the others. Some information that I'll need later on was shared here, and one or two funnies so it wasn't as bad as I first thought. I'm trying to get back into my writing, particularly after a recent loss. I'm over halfway done on the next chapter of Demolished and the next chapter of this is already planned in my head. I have some time off coming up, so expect at least one update soonish. In the meantime, REVIEW.