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Day 1: First Meeting
No one ever invited Xander to play at outside playtime. There were three different times Ms. Nancy, the newest teacher of the Penguin group, took them outside to the playground and he didn’t know what to do with himself. He also didn’t really get why they were always getting new teachers. Sometimes he built rock mountains near the swing-set, or he would go down the slide and stop in the middle so he could look at all the pictures other kids had drawn on the side. Sometimes if he could sneak out one of Ms. Nancy’s big kid markers he would add his own pictures to the side At least during inside playtime, Xander could go into his favorite corner of the rug and play with all the toys he wanted. His favorite was the G.I. Joe, but he was missing an arm. The bigger kids in the Seal Lion group always beat him to the other ones who had both arms, but he didn’t mind. In fact, Xander knew what it was like to not be picked by the other kids. It happened all the time with to him when he tried to play kickball during outside playtime. It used to make him feel bad, but he just channeled those feelings into his slide art. He always picked the one-armed G.I. Joe to play with during inside playtime.
Daddy had woken up late that morning to take Xander to preschool. Most mornings he did so he usually missed the first outside playtime. He liked to stay up with Mommy and drink their big kid drinks and they usually left Xander alone. Most of the time, he just sat in front of the TV watching all his favorite cartoons. He always knew that after the fourth episode of Scooby Doo he was supposed to go wake up Daddy so him to preschool. But he also knew that if he waited until after the fifth episode that he would miss the first outside playtime and arrive just in time to grab G.I. Joe and take him to the corner.
“Okay, Penguins. Today we have a new Penguin joining us--- everyone give a warm Penguin welcome to Willow!” He didn’t understand why Ms. Nancy was so happy all the time. He looked at the small, red-headed girl that hid behind Ms. Nancy’s legs. In the front pocket of her denim overalls, he could see a blonde haired barbie doll sticking out. He just knew his G.I. Joe would want to meet her. G.I. Joe always had a thing for blondes.
"Willow, say hello to your new class!” Ms. Nancy hadn’t stopped smiling. Willow shook her head and clung on tighter to Ms. Nancy’s pant leg.
Ms. Nancy turned around and crouched down to the new girl’s height. She put her hands on her shoulders and whispered something that Xander couldn’t hear. She nodded her head, her eyes wet with a couple tears. She stepped around Ms. Nancy and faced the Penguin group.
“M-m-my name is Wi-Willow and I’m five years old and I can tie my shoes,” She said as she held up her right hand to prove her age. Xander looked down at her tied shoelaces and felt embarrassed by his own velcro ones.
“And who’s your little friend you got hanging in your front pocket?”
“This is my Barbie.”
“Well it’s nice to meet you and your Barbie, Willow. Penguins, can we all say hello to our newest student?”
All the Penguins murmured their “hello’s”, but quickly returned to their playing. Xander did too because he didn’t want to leave G.I. Joe stranded in the midst of his war battle he was in. He watched out of the corner of his eye as the new girl retreated to the corner opposite from him.
Most days went the same. He and G.I. Joe played in their corner and the new girl played in the other one with her Barbie. The last couple days the Penguins had gotten lucky because it kept raining so they couldn’t have any outside playtime. This made Xander really happy. Each day, G.I. Joe urged Xander to introduce him to the Barbie.
When the rain finally stopped, he decided that day would be the day. As soon as Ms. Nancy opened the door, he ran out onto the playground to find the new red-headed kid. He ran up and down the entire playground and couldn’t find her. The other kids were out in the field, lining up to pick kickball teams. Xander decided to go spend his time in his slide working on his picture. He climbed up the stairs to the slide and started to slowly ease himself down the slide. However the slide was extra slippery today and Xander came crashing down into the red-headed girl. They both fell out of the slide into the rocks, Xander on top of her.
“What are you doing in my slide?” Xander exclaimed, brushing the dirt off his knees.
“I-I-I’m sorry. Nobody picked me for kickball and I didn’t know where else to go,” she stuttered. “I’m Willow.”
“I know. I seen you when you came in this morning,” he said. “I’m Xander.” Everyone always was picked for kickball except Xander. He’d never met someone who hadn’t been picked before.
“Have you seen my Barbie? She fell out when you hit me,” Willow started digging in the rocks in search of her doll. Xander had in fact seen the Barbie when he stood up to wipe the rocks off his knees. He had made sure to stand in front of her so that Willow couldn’t see her and he could take him inside to meet his G.I. Joe
“I’ll help you, but you have to be my girlfriend,” Xander said. He wanted to make sure that his new friend would be with him forever.
Willow eyes got real big and she looked down at her tied shoes. “I’m not old enough to have a boyfriend. My mommy and daddy tell me that I have to marry a Jewish boy. Are you Jewish?”
“No, but we can keep being boyfriend and girlfriend a secret.”
“Do we have to hold hands?” Willow asked, continuing her search for her Barbie.
“My mommy and daddy don’t hold hands and I don’t want too,” Xander tried kicking rocks back on to the Barbie with his velcro shoe.
“Okay then I’ll be your girlfriend, but you have to promise to find my Barbie,” Willow said.
“I pinky promise,” Xander stuck out his pinky. Willow grabbed it with her pinky and gave it a squeeze.
“I’m going to go over there to look for her,” Willow said pointing behind the slide.
He waited until he was sure she wasn’t looking to turn around and pick the Barbie up. He shoved her down his pant and turned around only to run right into Willow.
“I saw you steal my Barbie!” She yelled. “Give her back!”
Xander’s eye opened real big because he knew that if she told Ms. Nancy, he’d have to spend the next indoor playtime with his nose up against the wall.
“I just wanted her to meet my G.I. Joe. Please don’t tell Ms, Nancy,” He reached down and pulled her Barbie out to give her back.
Willow snatched her out of his hand and smoothed her hair down. She inspected the doll to make sure that no harm was caused in her tumble down the stairs.
“I won’t tell Ms. Nancy, but I’m done being your girlfriend,” Willow shoved the Barbie back into the front pocket of her overalls. “But only because I don’t tattle on my friends. Barbie can meet G.I. Joe when we go back inside.”
Xander smiled, thankful to have his first friend.
Day 1086: The Underpants Debacle
“Xander, watch this!” Jesse called as he pumped his legs harder to make his swing go higher. Xander was on the next swing down, desperately trying to make his own swing go higher. He had let Jesse beat him on their swing jumping contest the day before and he wasn’t going to let him do that today. It was a close call so they had Willow decide the winner. He had spent the rest of the day ignoring her because he was so mad at her. He watched as Jesse flew from his swing to the rocks below. He stuck the landing and turned around and stuck his tongue out at Xander.
“I can do better! You won’t win today, Jesse McNally!” Xander cried as he pushed himself out of his swing. He soared through the air and landed right next to Jesse…again. He threw his hands up in frustration knowing they’d have to ask Willow to break the tie again.
“Willow! We need you to tell us who won again!” Jesse yelled. Because Xander still hadn’t talked to Willow that day she had chosen to spend recess underneath the playground playing with the two dolls she had brought with her that day. Willow looked up from her her two Barbie dolls towards the two boys. She walked over with a doll in each hand.
“Tell him I won again,” Jesse said boastfully, his head held high. Xander crossed his arms and looked away from the two because he could feel in his gut that Willow wasn’t going to choose him as the winner.
Willow walked around the two boys, looking at their position in the rocks from every angle. She finished by getting down in the rocks, examining where their feet landed. She used the dolls to measure just how far each boy had reached. Xander watched her carefully. When she finished her examination she looked Xander in the eye, but he quickly looked away not wanting to hear her answer.
“It was really close, but today Xander is the winner. Sorry, Jesse,” Willow said, her eyes darting between the two of them.
“Take that, Jesse!” He yelled as forcefully threw his pointer finger in his direction. He let out a loud whoop before jogging circles around where Jesse stood. Jesse made a move towards Xander in his victory lap.
Suddenly, Xander fell face first down into the rocks and felt a cool breeze on his legs where he hadn’t just a moment ago. He shot up from the rocks and looked Willow in the face. Her face looked like what he imagined his did after his dad let him watch a scary movie over the past weekend. His eyes looked down and he saw his pants wrapped around his legs. He then realized that Jesse had yanked down his pants while he was running a circle around him. He could hear Jesse standing behind him laughing at his Aquaman underpants. Xander didn’t know what to do so he just stood where he was keeping his eyes locked on Willow.
“Hey look! It’s Captain Underpants!” he heard Cordelia Chase call from somewhere else on the playground. He heard more people join in the laughter and tears started to form in his eyes.
“Pull ‘em up, Xander” Willow whispered at him, not taking her eyes off his. He nodded in agreement and quickly pulled them back into position. Willow grabbed him by the hand, pulling him in the direction of her hiding spot under the playground as the laughter and “Captain Underpants” jokes continued around them.
“It’s going to be okay, Xander,” Willow said once they reached the spot successfully. She patted Xander on the back. “It’s really not as bad as you think.”
“Nobody like me and nobody likes Aquaman,” Xander muttered. “I’m going to punch Jesse so hard next time I see him.”
“I’m sure he didn’t mean it,” Willow said softly. “And I like you, Xander”
“He was laughing at me, Willow,” Xander could feel the tears starting to well up in his eyes again. Not only was he embarrassed becasue the whole first grade had seen his underwear, but he felt bad for ignoring Willow the last day. She was being so nice to him now even after he had been such a jerkface.
“I’m really sorry for being such a jerk and ignoring you,” he whispered. “I was just really mad that you chose Jesse over me as the winner.”
“I was just being honest,” Willow replied. “You’re my best friend no matter what, Xander.”
Xander smiled knowing that there was at least one person in the first grade on his side.
Day 2920: The “We Hate Cordelia Chase” Club
“Hey Captain Underpants! Which lame superhero undies are you wearing today?” Cordelia Chase called from across the lunchroom. Her blonde minions all laughed in Xander’s direction.
“Just ignore her,” Willow pleaded placing her hand on her best friend’s forearm. Xander could feel his anger boiling up. There’s no way he could ignore Cordelia. He was so sick of hearing the underpants joke.
“Actually today I have my Hulk underwear on. Keep making me angry and let’s see what happens!” He called back. Turning into the Hulk would be fun, he thought to himself. He pictured himself tearing through the cafeteria as the green giant yelling in his booming voice XANDER SMASH!
Willow rolled her eyes at Xander’s response and continued to eat her lunch. That day her parents had packed her a turkey sandwich with a side of carrots and some yogurt. Xander’s parents never packed his lunch and usually he just grabbed whatever still looked edible from the fridge. Today there had been slim pickings and he only managed to bring a small bag of somewhat stale pretzels. Seeing this, Willow tore her sandwich in half and placed it in front of Xander.
“I’m trying this new diet that strictly prohibits me from eating turkey sandwiches, Wil,” he said pushing the sandwich back in her direction.
“Oh just shut up and eat the sandwich. You get crabby when you don’t eat and I won’t eat all of it anyways,” she said, shoving it back in his direction. “I’m doing myself a favor, really, because the more I feed you, the less I have to deal with crabby Xander this afternoon.”
Xander took the sandwich and took a bite out of it. He chewed a little bit and then stuck his tongue out at Willow full of the partly chewed up sandwich.
“You’re disgusting,” Willow laughed. He always knew how to make her laugh.
“Did I see you two have a lover’s fight?” Cordelia asked, suddenly appearing at the end of the table.
“Leave us alone, Cordelia,” Willow almost whispered, looking down at her lunch on the table. Xander knew that confronting Cordelia wasn’t Willow’s favorite thing. He decided to step up in her defense.
“Cordy, why would you think Willow and I are a couple? You know I’m saving all my loving for you, dear,” He said followed by making kissy faces in her direction. “You just wait, baby, one of these days you’ll find me irresistible.
“As if!” She cried in disgust. “Like I would ever lower myself to your level.”
“One of these days!” He yelled after her as she walked back to her table on the opposite side.
“Do you really want to be with her?” Willow asked, finally looking up from her lunch.
“As if!” Xander replied the exact way Cordelia just had a moment ago. “Believe it or not, but I need a woman who actually has a brain to back up her beauty.”
“I have an idea,” Willow said after a moment of thought. She reached below the table and pulled out her notebook and one of her gel pens. Across the top she scribbled “We Hate Cordelia Chase”. Xander was confused what Willow was doing. Willow looked up from her notebook and cleared her throat.
“Alexander Harris, you are officially now a founding member of the ‘We Hate Cordelia Chase’ club...You will be our...treasurer!” She exclaimed. “If you accept this position, say ‘I do’”
Xander started to smile. Willow was always the nice one and this seemed like one of his usual antics. “I think I’m starting to rub off a bit too much, Willow.”
“You’re supposed to say ‘I do’, Xander,” she whispered.
“I do” he said, raising his right hand. Willow handed him the purple gel pen and he signed his name across the sheet of paper. Willow followed suit and signed her name under his.
“I’m sure Jesse will want to join after school,” She said.
“What does a treasurer do anyways? Does that mean I get to keep all the treasure we find on our club outings?” Xander asked.
“Something like that,” Willow laughed. Xander was happy to see his best friend smiling again.
“Let’s make a secret handshake! And a password! We can even get t-shirts!” Xander started rambling off all the things they would do as club.
“Oh, Xander…” Willow smiled, gazing at her best friend.
Day 5439: What is This Feeling, So Sudden and New?
Xander was shocked when he realized he was the first person to arrive to the library for their pre-patrolling debriefing. Normally, he’d wait until the last possible second before rolling out of bed in the evening. This served two purposes-- first, it allowed Xander every ounce of sleep he needed before spending the night walking around Sunnydale looking for vamps; secondly, it allowed his parents enough time to down just enough beers to where they wouldn’t even notice him leaving. However, this night he was preoccupied with thinking about where Buffy and Angel had run off too. Despite only being on their first six pack of the night, his parents didn’t even question his leaving.
He hadn’t stuck around long enough at the mansion to find out whether or not she had stalled Angelus long enough for his soul to come back three weeks ago after their showdown. Xander did exactly what he told Buffy he would do. He went and found Giles in a worse state than he expected. Seeing him all bloodied, bruised, and unable to tell the difference between his hallucinations and reality, Xander wished he wouldn’t have told Buffy about the newest attempt to restore Angel’s soul. His hate for Angel settled back in him where it always had. He could hear Angelus and Buffy fighting in the courtyard and he helped Giles limp out. He just assumed she had been successful because she was the Slayer and that the two were off somewhere enjoying each other’s company and staring into each other’s eyes and all that crap. Sure, he was with Cordelia, but they didn’t do things like that.
Xander took a seat at the nearest table and started tapping his fingers on table top while he waited. He couldn’t believe that Buffy had just taken off after that night without telling anyone where she was. He missed her, but most importantly he missed not having to patrol Sunnydale in her absence.
“Xander!” Willow exclaimed as she walked down the stairs from the bookshelves. Xander jumped up from his seat at the table, startled. Of course, he’d never really be able to beat Willow to a room full of books.
“Jeez, Willow. Do you ever leave this place?” He asked.
“I was with Giles all afternoon, but I stayed when he went home for tea so I could work on it.”
“And how long ago was that?”
Willow looked at the clock and started to blush. “About five hours ago,” she laughed.
“And my parent’s tell me to get a life,” he retorted.
“Oh! Look at this cool thing I taught myself!” Willow ran down the rest of the stairs and placed the book in front of her on the table. She started chanting something from a language that he didn’t recognize.
Xander had spent a lot of time looking at his best friend, but this was the first time he’d noticed the gold flecks that danced in her eyes whenever she talked about books. Usually he’d roll his eyes and make some sarcastic remark about Willow geeking out, but he never recognized just how passionate about all this she really was. Willow had matured a lot of over the past year. Really, she’d just really come into her own ever since the two of them first started hanging out with Buffy. He smiled, realizing that they were no longer the two kids of the playground who broke-up over a stolen Barbie doll.
“Xander you’re supposed to be looking at the book, not me. You’re making me nervous!” Willow smiled, breaking her’s and Xander’s concentration.
“Sorry, Wil. Just lost in thought. I’ll pay attention this time.” He made a point to dramatically shift his attention from her to the book. Willow smiled and Xander felt fluttering in his stomach.
Willow continued her chanting, but his gaze drifted back towards her face. The dim library light washed out the redness of her hair and he found himself longing to see it glint in the sunlight. The way her short, red hair shone in the direct sunlight was one of his favorite things about her. His eyes darted back towards the book as it started to levitate into the air. It was shaky at first and crashed down onto the table a few times, but eventually it rose to the ceiling. He looked back down from the ceiling to see Willow’s lips slowly stretch into a smile, her face beaming with pride. Xander couldn’t believe how far his best friend come with magic in such little time. All he had ever wanted was to feel useful, to have a purpose. Somehow Willow made him feel like he had all the purpose in the world. With her he always found himself feeling like he could take on the world. Looking at her now, he found himself wondering what it would be like to kiss her lips; to walk around the table to where he was standing in front of her, look her in her gold-flecked green eyes, and just kiss her. The book came crashing down from the ceiling, expelling Xander from that thought.
“I still have a lot of work I need to do, but it’s so much progress from where I was at yesterday,” Willow explained.
“That’s amazing, Wil! It’s so great to see all your time in this library actually paying off. Guess you didn’t stare at enough books during the school year,” He said sarcastically. Willow rolled her eyes at his library remark.
“I still have a long way to go, so the staring at books will continue. Do you think Oz will be just as excited to see it? I can’t wait to show him!” she squealed. For some reason, Xander felt himself wanting to scoff at the mention of Oz’s name. He really wasn’t sure why. He liked Oz and he liked what he had brought out in Willow. He just really wasn’t used to sharing Willow with someone else. Before Oz, Xander would get Willow all to himself whenever Buffy was out patrolling, but everything changed when he came into the picture. He felt like he hardly saw Willow outside of their group patrolling. Xander realized he was jealous of Oz. Oz could walk up at any moment and plant a big fat one on her lips. He felt like at the rate the two were going, he’d never get to do that and caused his chest and stomach to tighten up.
He heard to door open and watched as Willow’s face brightened up. He knew it was Oz before he turned around. Willow ran over to Oz bubbling and gushing over the spell she’d just accomplished. As Xander watched his best friend with her boyfriend, he could feel the green monster settling in once more. He startled twiddling his thumbs as he waited for Cordelia to walk through the doors, forcing himself not to look for Willow’s gold-flecked eyes.