Part 11

      "So, Wills, how's it going with you and Deadboy?" Xander teased as he
watched his red headed friend enter the classroom. It had been a week since
the argument with Buffy, and the teenagers had been working hard at renewing
their friendship.  And Xander was making inroads.  He even helped Spike
regain use of his legs. Just without the girls knowing about it. The blonde
vampire wanted it to be a surprise for Cordelia and Xander wanted to help,
as a way of making things right again between him and the cheerleader.
      "They're going good.  We're heading to the Bronze tonight, wanna come?"
Willow asked, smiling at the thought of spending quality time with those
that she cared about. She just wished that Buffy were one of those people.
The blonde Slayer still refused to talk to Willow or Xander, seeing them
both as traitors.  And poor Giles was stuck in the middle.  He cared about
Willow, Xander and Cordelia.  They were all like the children he never had,
but Buffy was his Slayer and she had to come first.  So, even though the
Slayerettes still helped when needed, it was decided that it would be behind
the scenes, so that Buffy wouldn't find out.
      "Yeah, that sounds cool.  Maybe we'll see you there."  Willow looked at
Xander, not having missed the pronoun he had used.
      "We?  There's a we?  Whose the we?  Do I know her?" She grilled him,
wanting to know about the sudden grin that crossed Xander's face. "Alexander
Harris, talk."
      "I hate it when you use that name," he whined, the smile on his face
remaining.  "Actually you do know her.  Its Amy Madison."
      "Amy Madison," Willow squealed.  "Amy Madison, as in Catherine, I want to
kill you all, Madison's daughter?"
      "Yeah, well, we like to not bring that part up.  She's kinda sensitive
about that," Xander stated matter of factly.
      "So when did the two of you hook up?"  Willow probed, wanting Xander to be
happy, but knowing how much Buffy's using him had hurt.  She didn't want to
see him rush into anything just because he thought he could make things
better.
      "Well we ran into each other at the Sunnydale library Tuesday night,"
Xander started explaining.  "I was there picking something up for Giles and
she was there researching a paper for her history class.  Turns out it was
the same book, go figure.  We started talking and before I knew it I asked
her out."
      "But what about Buffy?"  Willow said the Slayer's name quietly, not wanting
to ruin the good mood that Xander was in.  "How do you feel about her?"
Xander shrugged his shoulders.
      "I don't know," he replied honestly.  "I still love her, and I think a part
of me always will.  But I know that what we had wasn't real.  That she never
really cared for me.  I have to move on with my life.  And before you go
asking, Amy knows what happened between Buffy and me.  After all, this is
Sunnydale High and Cordelia is still the queen of the gossips. Everyone
knows what a fool I was."
      "You weren't a fool, Xander," Willow told him.  "You were just in love with
someone that didn't know a good thing when she had him.  And who knows,
maybe you and Amy will work out.  Stranger things have happened."
      "Wills, this is Sunnydale. Strange things are the norm around here."
Willow and Xander laughed, realizing the truth of the statement.
      "Well, well, well, if it isn't the slut and the traitor," a voice sneered
from behind the giggling duo.
      "Buffy," Xander groaned, turning to face his ex-girlfriend.  He used to
think she was the most beautiful girl in the world, but now all he saw was a
bitter person that didn't know that the world didn't revolve around her.  At
this moment, Xander could not remember what it was about her that he had
ever found attractive.
      "Xander," she said.  "Tramp."
      "I am not a tramp," Willow hissed.  The students around them turned to see
what was going on, but one glare from Buffy was enough to make them turn
back around.  "Why can't you get it through your head that I didn't do
anything wrong."
      "Didn't do anything wrong?" Buffy repeated.  "What do you call going after
your best friend's boyfriend because you were upset at her?  If that's not a
tramp, I don't know what it."
      "I didn't go after Angel to get back at you," Willow argued.  Xander could
see the tension building in his best friend and knew that something was
about to blow.  He had only seen Willow like this once, and it had been a
week before Jesse was allowed to play with Willow after that.  "You had
nothing to do with Angel and I falling in love."  Buffy snorted at Willow's
logic.
      "Please, Angel doesn't love you.  He can't," she sneered.  "Why would he
even be interested in you other than to get back at me?  You plain.  Mousy.
Shy.  You can't even dress in proper clothes."
      "As opposed to dressing like street trash," Willow sneered, causing quite a
few snickers to float their way from their fellow students.  "I won't let
you belittle what Angel and I have, Buffy.  You have no right."
      'I have every right," Buffy practically yelled.  "Angel was my boyfriend
and you stole him."
      "That's it, I've had it," Willow screamed.  Xander cringed as he realized
the volcano was about to blow its red headed top.  "Listen close Buffy,
because I'm only going to say this one more time.  Angel is not your
boyfriend.  He hasn't been for a very long time and if I have any say in the
matter, he will never be again.  You left him, remember.  For a normal life
and you couldn't even do that right.  Instead you had to drag poor Xander
into your little games, making him do something that went against his very
nature.  And yet you tell me I was in the wrong.
      "I've got news for you, Buffy.  You may be the Chosen One, but that doesn't
make you special.  When are you going to get down off of the high horse
you're mounted on and realize that you're just like the rest of us?  You can
be wrong.  And, more often than not, you are.  When are you going to
understand that you can't have everything your way?
You wanted a normal life, well, you had one.  You and Xander were probably
really good together, if what Xander has said was true, but you didn't just
want that.  You wanted everything else too.  You wanted Angel to sit around
and brood because you left him and when he didn't, you decided to blame
someone else.  And that cost you Xander.  And you can't understand why he
wants nothing to do with you.  No wonder you're failing your psych/soc
class.  You have no concept of human nature."  Buffy slapped Willow so hard
that the young hacker fell to the ground. Everyone stared in shock at the
blonde girl, stunned that she had done that.
"You goddamn bitch," Xander swore as he leaned over Willow to make sure she
was all right.  He could see the red head's cheek turning pink from the hit
and helped her to her feet.  "How dare you hit Willow.  Remember when you
said that you didn't want us helping you anymore. You never have to worry
about that again. From now on, you're on your own." With that Xander grabbed
his and Willow's books and left the classroom.

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