A/N I barely acknowledge the comics exist and I rarely use them in my stories, a few exceptions aside, which means Whistler and Twilight, not a thing in this story. I'm trying the 'Powers might not be idiots?' approach in this story. 😜

And of course, without vampires Jasmine is neutralized since Wolfram and Hart can't bring back Darla or get her vamped. 😂

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"Hey, Aliveboy." A voice Angel hadn't heard in over a year said from behind the former vampire with a soul, sulking at the bar and nursing a drink.

"Don't call me that, Whistler." Angel growled swinging around to stare at the badly dressed demon.

"Because it's what Harris called you? You really don't like that guy, do you? Well, he did make you look bad in front of the jailbait you were so intent on chasing." Whistler said cheerfully. "Talk a walk with me, Angel, we need to talk."

"And if I don't want to?"

"Than I make you, it's not like you can fight me. Even if you weren't half drunk, you're no where near able to take me in a fair fight. And who says I would fight fair?"

Angel tossed back the last of his drink and dropped some cash on the bar top and followed the little demon out of the bar. "Do you know what's going on, Whistler?"

"If you're referring to the vampires being gone, yes, I do. And no, they're not coming back. Janus is an Elder god, so far above the Powers that he wouldn't even stub his toe if he stepped on them. Nothing he did during that Halloween stunt violates the Accords because he was invited in by that numbskull Rayne. And Harris is a Wild Card anyway, half the time no one can predict what he'll do next."

"What does that mean?" Angel frowned, puzzled. "He's just a normal human, isn't he?"

"He's a walking chaos factory." Whistler shook his head. "No one saw him trying to save Blondie, she was expected to die and stay dead. I figured your big moment would come some time next year helping the Slayer that got Called after her stop some insanity Drusilla was going to cook up. The world really has changed, but there are still demons out there willing to cause a ruckus and people are needed to be willing to step up and keep 'em from causing problems."

"And you expect me to be one of them?!" Angel glared at shorter being. "In case it's escaped your notice, Whistler, I'm not a vampire anymore! Compared to what I was - how the Hell do you expect me to do anything?"

"Harris is just a kid and he's done pretty good taking on bigger and badder." Whistler reminded him. "You're squatting in an abandoned building and getting drunk rather than actually trying to get a life. Like I told you when we first met, you could become an even greater waste or you could become someone. It's your choice, but you've got knowledge and skills even if you don't have the strength you had before and you can help. All you have to do is be willing to try."

"By myself? And how exactly can I help anyone when I'm finding it hard to help myself?" Angel growled, his attempts to find some kind of work hadn't been going well, what skills he had didn't translate into actual jobs very well.

"You don't have to do it alone, there's a Seer, a half Bracken that could help you. Along the way you might be able to help him save his marriage, the Bracken thing is something he's struggling with. You can relate, you're struggling with being human. There's also a street gang in south L.A. that used to hunt vampires, they could be redirected to taking out dangerous demons. You don't have to do it alone."

"You expect me to lead a street gang?"

"Oh, look at the hubris on you, thinking you'll be in charge. The street gang's already got a leader and they don't need a new one, I suggest you try working with them. And start by not looking down your nose at them, that won't go over well, at all." Whistler advised.

"I was a Master vampire, Whistler, even with the soul, other vampires were afraid of my strength and what I could do to them if I turned my attention to them and now you expect me to be an advisor to a street gang of humans?"

"Again with the hubris, the humans are right, you know, pride does go before a fall. Mostly because you're so busy looking down your nose, you miss what's in front of you. Crawl back to the hovel you're squatting in, given how much time you've spent living in the gutter in the last century, you must enjoy it. Your pride's keeping you there. If you change your mind and decide you actually do want to be someone, call my name. Unless I've found someone else willing to man up."

Angel glared at the little demon and thought about how hard everything was being human. Sure, living with Angelus' memories hadn't been easy and he hadn't coped well with it and he wasn't coping well with being human either. Obviously something had to change because he wasn't existing, let alone living. Maybe having a purpose was what he needed. Was what Whistler was offering worth a try?

"Alright, I'll try it your way, Whistler. What have I got to lose at this point?"

"Well, there's always a chance you could die."