What If? no.1 (From the Buffy and Angel magazine)

[N.D.U.O]

What If Liam hadn't been a Drunken Womanizer?


Good boy Liam stays home with his family, and never meets Darla. Without the pairing of Angelus and Darla, Holtz's family lives, neither Drusilla nor Spike is sired, a Gypsy girl and two Slayers live past their time, and a lot of bad stuff never goes down. Darla lives on in The Master's service, until she runs afoul of a certain Slayer in Sunnydale and is dusted. But since Buffy never loves Angel, she is a weaker slayer than the girl who fights Angelus and finds the strength to kill Angel. This Buffy might not have what it takes to defeat Glory of The First.

Do you agree with this? Post your own ideas...

[Wyndam]

Interesting that they don't mention the possibility of Buffy and Xander getting together early on, since Buffy's quick infatuation with Angel wouldn't have gotten in the way. I don't think I agree with Buffy not having the strength to defeat Glory or The First though, as I wouldn't attribute her mess with Angelus as the sole reason for toughening her up. Angelus posed more of an emotional and mental threat than say the physical threat of The Master or The Mayor. Buffy would have developed differently as a Slayer, sure, but I think she would still come out on top later on without her encounter with Angelus. Buffy always finds a way. And if she doesn't, her friends will.

Neat topic!

[N.D.U.O]

I have more but my fingers are mostly tired...

[Eric]

If Liam didn't get sired, down the line, William wouldn't have been sired, thus never killing those two slayers. Under those circumstances, the history of the slayer line would be altered and I don't think it's certain Buffy would be called in the end.

[Billie Erin]

^^^^I disagree eventually her generation would've needed a slayer and Buffy was the best suited so the one destined to be it. However Kendra would not have been killed so Faith would never have been called. And Fred would still be in Pylea. Wesley would still be a boring old watcher and Wolfram and Hart would have nothing to do with their time

[NileQT87]

Xander would have never been able to find the Master's lair without Angel and Buffy, if she would even be called at all due to removing Spike from the mix, would never have been given CPR.

And actually, the Three would have overpowered Buffy if it weren't for Angel.

And Darla wouldn't have been dusted either, because she was only going after Buffy for personal reasons (Angel). Outside of the extreme jealousy she felt over Angel's affection for Buffy that he never could feel for her, Darla stayed far, far away from anything that risked her (hence, leaving Angelus in the burning barn). Darla was afraid of dying because of her history of being a dying whore. That's why she was so desperate not to die of syphilis the second time. Only love made her willing to die--either risking herself to get rid of the object of Angel's affections, accepting her mortal fate when she finally felt cared about for the first time ever (by Angel) or sacrificing herself for Connor.

And come to think of it, Buffy would also have been killed by Luke if it hadn't been for the cross necklace that Angel gave her. Which also means that Willow and Xander would have been taken along with Jesse. The Master would have risen at the Harvest if it weren't for Angel.

Angel was the means behind Buffy being saved four times in season 1 alone. The cross necklace which saved Buffy, Willow and Xander, telling about the Harvest saved Cordy and a bunch of others at the Bronze, Xander would have had his head eaten if Buffy had never gone hunting for Claw because of Angel and seen the She-Mantis turn her head 180°, Angel directly saved Buffy from the Three, Angel saved Buffy from Darla because she didn't expect him to betray his sire and had turned a blind eye and Xander, not only wouldn't know about the Master in the first place (or lived past the Harvest without Angel), wouldn't have found the Master's lair in time to save Buffy without Angel. Though, granted, Giles wouldn't have found out about the prophecy either without Angel giving the Pergamum Codex.

And while we're at it, Jenny would have been killed by Eyghon if there weren't a dead body around that could fight with a demon of its own. She died because of Angelus, but she also would have died without him.