The Mistletoe Advice

AN: this is set between episodes 'Bad Eggs' and 'Innocence' in Season 2 so bear with the artistic stretching I'm using; it IS fan fiction guys! But all below belong to Joss but events actually occurred to me I just twisted them via BTVS style so I can smile on this now. Enjoy and review please!

The Holiday season was officially upon Sunnydale now! Willow Rosenberg had her menorah up in her living room like the good jewish girl her parents wanted her to be (meanwhile having a cross tacked up on her bedrooms doorway to be safe). The red-headed Junior was currently headed over to her male best-friend's place for her favorite of traditions this time of year: 'Charlie Brown Christmas Special'. As much as she liked having Buffy around, who was spending this holiday with her Dad in L.A, she always felt this particular jealously when it came to Xander with her. A lot had changed in their lives since the blonde had entered earlier this year, heck Jesse was DEAD now and would not be joining this year in his yearly Snoopy dance like always which made her sad. But Xander still made a cute face when he did it and this past summer it seamed like they had made quite a leap in their friendship to almost going towards where she had been dreaming of for quite sometime but dare not say for fear of ruining their friendship if he didn't return the feeling.

So as she knocked on his oh-so familiar fading red door she was giddy but anxious for courage to tell him how she felt finally after everything that had occurred lately. After all they were 17 now, practically adults now! He was wearing his goofy Peanuts gang shirt with them all dancing around the stage with his usual jeans he'd worn school last week.

"We have a bit of change of plans Wills", he stated with flustered but excited face. Maybe he was about to say something along the lines like she wanted to?!

"Will we not be watching Charlie mess up the pageant this year Xander? I love your Snoopy dance", she pouted playfully which got her a rather odd hair rustle. He hadn't done that since they were about 9 or so and she was now getting frustrated that he'd done something so random and was delaying telling what was going on. He was looking around at everywhere in the room but her eyes and his left hand was twitchy like, last time he was like this had been hiding something from Jesse and her.

"It appears I get out of hearing my Mom and Dad do the usual holiday 'cheer' they do as Uncle Rory wants to take me up to Bakersfield for the few days till 'the storm blows over' as he put it so can you quickly help pack a bag before the show starts?", he already had his eyes that knew got to the poor girl and would get her to do anything for him. She sighed, "Can't it wait till afterwards Xand?"

"That's the thing- he's coming right after it ends so I need to be packed. I would have packed before but he called just before you got here I swear!", his eyes were going a bit wild and waving his hands to make his point.

"Alright to your wreck of a room we go", she hopped on his back like always but this time could feel a change in their atmosphere instantly. His back was tighter and she didn't know if it was good or bad as he just carried her to his room then placed her down as soon as the pair got there. She looked around for his shoes, socks miscellaneous items she knew he wouldn't mind her touching without things getting awkward between the two for a few days. She spotted some socks and one of his favorite tee-shirts next to his comic-book stand when she saw hanging right above her was something she never expected in Xander's room of all place's: mistletoe.

"Um, Xander what is this doing here?", as she indicated above her head.

He however had been digging in his closet and was facing the opposite the direction, froze; "OH GOD WILLOW I NEVER WANTED YOU TO FIND THAT- JUST DON'T TELL BUFFY YOU SAW THAT, IN FACT DON'T TELL ANY FEMALE I DATE-", he screeched in horror.

"Buffy? I'm talking about the mistletoe buddy…are you alright?", she would have moved towards him she knew the traditional rules of this blush and wouldn't dare with him this close. Again his posture changed but he turned towards her this time.

"Oh, that? Larry from gym class said it helped with chicks around this time of year so as a joke I put it in here and decided I tell him I got a chick in my room big time- funny right? I mean I know it's just you but still counts. Plus it's not like I need to kiss you or anything- nobody would know it didn't actually happen because that will never occur"

She would not cry, "I'm sure that's quite hilarious to the two of you, but when you decided to include me not so much Alexander. You enjoy packing your bag for your trip with your Uncle". With that she ran out of his room, past his shocked face, past his drunk parents already fighting and into the now darkened streets of Sunnydale.

Before she knew it she had run into a rather solid figure, "Oh sorry I didn't see where I was going". How she managed to get that out without blubbering she didn't know.

"You can make it up to me by giving me a Holiday nibble", it was then she saw his vampire face- she screamed and ran towards The Bronze, which by this point wasn't that far and recalled Angel lived near there from one of her chats with Buffy in the Spring before she had killed the Master.

Thankfully he seemed to be out and about or had been wrapping up a sweep of the town as he descended upon the vampire trying to eat her, "Sorry, but this one doesn't celebrate Christmas" and with that he was dust.

She finally caught her breath, "You have been hanging out with Buffy too much"

He glared, "And you apparently haven't enough, where is your stake or holy water at least, Willow? Buffy would be heart-broken to discover one of her friends got killed while being lax with her being out of town"

"It wasn't like that Angel, I had a bit of a disagreement with Xander and ran out. We were supposed to celebrating the Holidays at his place tonight and I was gonna spend the night like every year. Not like spend the night ,spend the night; it's a totally separate bed kind of thing but same room thing where we stay up talking about everything but no nail-painting after this one time-", the tall vampire suddenly placed his index finger on her mouth to silence her.

"Why don't you tell me all about this inside my apartment, where I can make you some hot cocoa?", he slightly grinned but it seemed like he was trying not to laugh about the image of Xander with nail polish. Possibly glittery nail polish.

She looked puzzled, "You have food and know how to make it?"

"I didn't steal all my money and belongs from my victims I'll have you know", he joked with a blank face. He lead her to his apartment quickly and from the way glanced around, was double-checking nobody had followed them.

Before she knew it she was all settled into his rather comfortable home, which reminded her of a dojo really, but still soothing. As she sunk into the chair her was bringing her the promised hot cocoa and sugar cookies, "I'm afraid I don't have much else to offer, Buffy raided the place the last time she was here after she had patrolled before heading to L.A., now do you want to explain a little bit more about what happened with Xander?"

The young red-head calmly took a slow sip of the still steaming beverage before answering, "For many years Xander and I have been doing this 'will we or won't we?' dance. Your old enough to know what I'm talking about and have seen us interacting for some time now. This past summer I seriously thought he was going to -finally- make the move, ya know? Kiss me, ask me out! But just as it was gonna happen one of The Anointed One's stupid minions came and ruined the moment, then Buffy thankfully saved us. Once Buffy came back from the summer break… well you recall what happened and it was like I disappeared all over. Heck earlier this semester he even had the gall to ask me why neither of us can get a date! Several times in the locker room the other girls assume he's in like a threesome with Buffy and me. Which is totally weird and besides you'd murder him about 12 times over before he got the chance to touch her. Anyway's tonight he made it seem like now he only likes to have me around for book stuff and for he idea of letting people think I let him get anywhere with me"

Angel was gripping his own chair's arms a bit hard towards the end and Willow could notice his fingers had made indentions in them now quite clearly. However he was still being his usual silent self.

"Thanks for saving me earlier Angel, really. Also thanks for having the open ear", before she could get very far or place her tea-cup onto the nearby coffee table he gently shoved her back into the chair.

"First off Willow, your right I would kill him 12 times over -at least- before letting him touch Buffy but after hearing all this, you as well. He doesn't treat or talks about your sex very kindly so the only reason I haven't reenacted something from one of Giles' Watcher's Diary's is because he is one of yours and Buffy's friends. If that ever changed however. Secondly, he is foolish to let a smart, lovely young woman like you to slip away and one day he will realize it but it will be to late of course. He's had many chances from what you've said and I have seen many times at The Bronze- don't waste another moment on him. Finally, what about that guy who saved you back on Career Day? Buffy told me when I was recovering that guy couldn't keep his eyes off of you and he was super worried about you even after the assassin was long gone", he spoke softly but at some points growled slightly when speaking of Xander.

Her green eyes went wide at the mention of the young man's random mention, "Oz?! I think he just wanted me out of his hair, he's a guitar player in THE band here in town & he's a popular senior so totally and completely out of my league, which isn't that hard for me really"

He smirked knowingly, "You mean the guitar player who I've seen checking you out when we all get to The Bronze with the multi-colored hair? He looks at you when your not looking. Also I've heard him asking around about your interests, in a non-stalkery way. Tell you what, after the holiday break when you've had time to collect your thoughts and all that, approach him to see if there's a shot with him. If not then your still moving on past Xander and it gets you out there onto the dating scene"

She smiled and bit into the cookie, "You know, I might just do that- heck it'll be right before Buffy's birthday too when we get back!"

"Wait…when's her birthday?"

~Vixen519