I'm glad you decided to read. It's very flattering when I non-B/Aer emerges from the woodwork and still likes my story, anyway ;o)

I'm also tickled you're enjoying the backstory. I didn't want to spend too much time saying "this was what would have happened to canon without Angel" but I wanted what I did say about it to be clear and believable. Again, I'm glad it worked for you. And thanks for letting me know it did!