SquidgeWorld Archive

Chapter Text

E-mail: Chris_Kenworthy@yahoo.com

First person. (Willow.)

I got to Sunnydale high early and hung around the north entrance, hoping that I'd spot Oz as he came in. We kinda left things a little awkward last time we met - he told me off for wanting to kiss him just to make Xander jealous, and then we helped Buffy dismember and bury an ancient demon. What with everything that Buffy's been going through over the Angel issue, I hadn't seen him since.

But Buffy seems to be adjusting to her significant other being turned into a cold-blooded killer, (well, adjusting a little, at least,) and I was determined to take some Willow time. Oops, there he was! Lost in thought, I completely hadn't noticed Oz as he walked right past me. I hurried through the doors and tried to catch up to him. "Oz!"

He turned and waited for me, a surprised look on his face. "Willow?"

"Uh, yeah," I panted. "I was wondering if you, uh, wanted to do something after school."

"Sure."

Hmm... not exactly the enthusiastic response I had hoped for. "Uh, so, what do you want to do? Go see a moive??"

"Sure, we could do that."

Oh, great. Zero interest. Well, not quite zero. but under point one. Seven hundredths of the legal minimum interest to actually go out on a date, I decided. Way to go, Willow Rosenberg, you've just made a total fool out of yourself. Yet again.

What had gone wrong? He had liked me last week, hadn't he? He was going to ask me out the night of Buffy's birthday party. Was it finding out about the vampires? Or realizing that I was still hung up on Xander??

"Forget it," I muttered, turning away from Oz and heading back down the hall the other way. I didn't look back.

"Well, when you're a pitiful loser who gets rejected by someone you've just asked out, where do you go?" I mumbled to myself. "The library!!"

But I didn't get any farther than pushing the library door open halfway. Xander and Cordelia Chase were kissing. More than just kissing - they were making out like there was no tomorrow. Cordy was kind of sitting on the checkout counter, Xander leaning in close to her, and as I watched, his lips locked onto hers. (I couldn't tell for sure if there was tongue, but it sure looked like it.) Their hands were all over each other, Cordelia's stroking the side of Xander's chest and the hair at the back of his neck, Xander nervously cupping one breast through Cordy's designer top and stroking her lower thigh.

My god!!

I knew I should just get out of there, but I couldn't resist watching them for a few seconds. Maybe I've got a streak of morbid voyeurism. The words Xander had said to me when I had first found them kissing in the stacks rang back to me. "Willow, we were just kissing. It doesn't mean that much."

How could that not mean anything? (Xander's lips had left Cordelia's and were making their way across her perfect neck.) And yet, on some level, I understood what he was meaning. Xander still didn't like Cordelia - they were fighting more than ever now that they were doing this, as far as I could tell. (Cordy was running her hand up under Xander's shirt...) It was just a physical thing.

But that wasn't *right*. You shouldn't do... this kind of thing with someone you don't like. Xander, you should be kissing someone you love, I told him silently.

And I jumped in surprise as the conclusion of that comment forced its way into my mind. Someone... like me.

What do you mean by that? I told myself off. What makes you say that Xander loves you? That's just wishful thinking.

Cordelia moved herself a little closer to Xander as they kissed again. One thing's for sure, I decided as I let the door close. He can't be interested in Cordelia Chase for her mind or her personality. Just her body...

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When English class let out and we were done with classes for the day, Buffy and I headed towards the library. I felt all mucky inside when Cordelia grabbed Xander's hand and led him stealthily off, but at least they were going the other way and I wouldn't have to watch more smoochies in the library again.

"So, whatcha got planned for tonight?" Buffy asked me.

I shrugged. Not going to a movie with Oz or kissing Xander, that's for sure. "Dunno. You??"

"Patrolling," Buffy said kinda quietly. "You wanna come with."

"Uh, I'm not sure," I admitted. "You going after Angelus now?"

"No," Buffy said, shaking her head. "I'm not ready for him yet. But Giles says that he thinks there's some kinda beasties up in the caves east of town. Figure that'll get me back into the Slaying mood." She looked at me as we went into the library, and for just an instant I could see how much pain she was going through.

"If you want me to, of course I'll come," I told her simply.

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WHOUMPH!! "Buffy!!" I screamed out as my best friend tumbled into a pile of rotting rags. I had been cautiously waiting on the other end of the cave while Buffy did the Slaying thing - or at least, that had been the plan.

The 'beastie' hadn't been very scary looking, compared to some of the stuff we've faced. Human-shaped, five foot three, greenish-blue skin, not much of a face. But it had been clear as Buffy started to spar with the thing that it was incredibly tough - like it was made of stone or metal, almost.

"I'm okay," Buffy quickly assured me, jumping to her feet. She scanned the room, noticed a massive-looking block of metal resting near one wall of the cave. Quickly she charged the beastie again, forcing it back into that corner. I realized what she was doing - she needed the force of gravity to slay something that tough. At just the right moment, Buffy kicked the creatures feet out from under it, and pulled the metal block down on its head. The head dented a little bit and the monster moved no more.

"That... that was exciting," I muttered, walking over to Buffy.

"Yeah, she agreed, prodding the monster's body. It didn't seem to prod well, (not surprising if its flesh was that tough,) and it didn't react. "I'd probably better check the rest of this cave network to make sure that there isn't another one. You stay here - it's safe enough."

"Okay," I muttered as Buffy charged off. I wandered around the cave a few times, trying to look at everything and stave off boredom. On my second circuit, I actually noticed something unusual.

It had been behind the block of metal, and it was an elegant wooden case, about two inches by three inches by four inches. I opened it up, and noticed that there were what looked like a few different pieces of jewelry inside, and a note. Cool!! Monster treasure. There was a black brooch in the shape of a scarab beetle - it was made of some kind of black stone - obsidian or onyx maybe. And a green metallic ring that looked like a tiny snake, coiled three times around, and a queer golden dohickey that looked like a computer chip at least as much as anything else I could think of...

"Willow!" Buffy called from down the tunnel. "It's clean. We're out of here."

I left the monsters cave without thinking, and then stopped short once I had gotten to the tunnel. Should I really take the box with me? It wasn't mine, after all. Maybe this was against some kind of Slayer rule. I looked back at the metal block, trying to judge, and it almost seemed for a second that the monster was moving.

"What?" I breathed, charging back in to take a look. Nope. No movement. Maybe it was my imagination...

"Will? You there??" Buffy called again, sounding a little frantic.

"Oh, yeah," I called back, sticking the box into my jacket and going out to meet up with Buffy.

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I didn't mention the box to Buffy - I'm not quite sure why. Possibly because when I first found it, it seemed like something very special and private, mine alone. I didn't want to lose that feeling.

So, between Buffy and the neccessity of watching where I walked, I didn't get a good chance for a second look at the contents of the box until I was safe in my room. Something caught my eye from the desk - oh, it was the school paper. I had written a little blurb in it - Mom must have found out and left a copy of the paper in my room as 'a positive reinforcement.'

What I noticed, though, was not my little blurb at the bottom of the page, but the main story, about the Sunnydale High Winter Ball. Half the page had been used for a full-color photo of the Queen of the Ball.

Cordelia Chase, of course.

I went over to take a closer look at the story. This had been two weeks ago, so Cordelia and Xander would have been doing the smoochieface thing for a while, but no-one else had known about it yet. Cordy had taken Ryan Carver to the ball, and he had become the king.

I felt a wash of anger on Xander's behalf, that Cordelia would use him for kisses in private and yet refuse to be seen with him in public... though Xander had been doing exactly the same thing. Well, the whole situation just didn't make very much sense to me.

The photo showed Cordy in a beautiful strapless gown, deep ice blue in color, with a daringly low-cut neckline, considering her, um, assets. Her dark hair was all curly, flowing loosely across her otherwise bare shoulders.

I had to admit that she looked nothing short of magnificent. Was that really all that Xander cared about??

I turned away from the newspaper and returned my attention to the box. This time, after I opened it, I looked at the note first. 'Welcome,' it read. 'Herein are housed mysteries of magic to fascinate the noble imagination - or to destroy the foolish soul." There was an illustration of the golden chip doohickey I had noticed before. "The chakra was first crafted by Hindu practicioners of Hatha-Yogi over four millenia ago. It purpose is to catalyze the transposession of spirits. When each side of the chakra makes firm contact with the skin of a different person, the chakra will exchange their spirits - their self-identities. Beware, for though the exchanging of bodies can be a remarkable tool in the pursuit of one's fondest dreams, it is also dangerous. Read the words of warning inscribed herein carefully..."

I broke off. This was heavy stuff. Maybe I should just take the box and give it to Giles in the morning - he'll know what to do with it. What use would I have for a magical body-switching gizmo anyways? I don't want to be anyone except me...

But my eye landed on the school newspaper again, and I realized that that wasn't so. What had I just been thinking about earlier today, after all. Xander was madly attracted to Cordelia, but she wasn't good for him and they didn't even like each other. But...

Cordelia's body - my personality. Together we would be the perfect girl for Xander!!