Disclaimer: No, I don't own any of these characters, except for Mr.
Walker...and even he was modeled after my English teacher...*shrug* What are
you gonna do?
Five year old Cordelia Chase walked into her kindergarden classroom, head held hight. She'd never been to school before, but Mommy had promised it would be lots of fun and she was determined to find that fun.
The teacher, a tall young man in black pants and a nice tie, smiled warmly at her as she pinned a nametag to her pink shirt. "Hello Cordelia. Welcome to kindegarden."
She gave him her best big-girl grin. "I have a new bear waiting for me at home."
He laughed, a nice calm laugh that made her stand up a bit taller. "I'm Mr. Walker. Why don't you sit over there at that table?"
She nodded and flounced over to the group he was pointing to. A small girl with red hair sat primly on a chair next to a messy-looking boy with dark hair and brown eyes.
Cordelia took a spot across from them. "Hi."
The girl smiled. "Hi. My name's Willow. I can even spell it." Screwing up her face in concentration, she thought hard, then recited, "W-I- L-L-O-W."
The boy slumped down, offering Cordelia a crooked smile. He was missing three teeth. "I'm Xander. I can't spell it."
"Xander?" Cordelia frowned. "That's a weird name."
"It's short for Alexander," Willow told her as he scowled. "But he doesn't like it much."
"Why don't you like it?" Cordelia was confused.
Xander shrugged. "Alex is a normal name. I'm a superhero!"
Cordelia cocked her head, taking in his holey blue jeans and green T- shirt. "Where's your cape?"
He scowled again. "It's...in the wash."
"'Cause he got chocolate all over it," Willow chimed in helpfully.
"Well, I'm Cordelia," the other girl said importantly.
"Cor-del-ia?" Xander sounded out. "That's a *really* weird name."
The brown-haired girl was hurt. "Is not."
"How 'bout we call you Cordy for short?" Willow soothed. Her voice dropped to a stage whisper. "That way Xander can actually say it."
Cordelia beamed. "Okay!"
She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up at Mr. Walker. The teacher grinned at them.
"I'm going to add one more person to this little group, okay? Kids, this is Angel."
"Angel?" Xander wrinkled his nose. "That's a girly name."
The new boy frowned. His brown hair was spiky in the front and he wore a black T-shirt with dark jeans and black sneakers—the tie-up kind, Cordelia noticed, impressed. He was very cute, she saw, and she decided then and there that she wanted to chase him and kiss him.
Angel sat down. "Hi."
"Hi!" Willow replied brightly. "I'm Willow. I can spell it too!"
Before she could go off on another one of her spelling tangents, Angel smiled. "Cool." He glanced uneasily at Xander, who showed off his missing teeth again.
"I'm Xander. I'm a superhero." The young man draped a friendly arm over the new boy's shoulders. "Even though you have a girly name, we can be friends. After all, boys gotta stick together."
Willow grabbed Xander in a fierce hug. "But you're my boyfriend!"
He blushed. Cordelia's eyes widened.
"I want a boyfriend!"
Xander laughed. "I wish I could help, but I'm a one-woman boy."
She scooted closer to Angel, who looked nervous pretty much automatically. "Will you be my boyfriend?"
The dark-haired little boy looked around. "Me?"
Cordelia nodded and he swallowed.
"I, uh...what would I have to do?"
She smiled even more sweetly. "Not much. Just don't talk to prettier girls..." She looked around. "Actually, that means you can talk to pretty much everbody."
He scratched his head. "Okay. What's your name?"
"Cordelia," she answered.
Xander rolled his eyes. "Wer-id," he sing-songed.
She felt her eyes grow moist. "Stop being such a stupid-head."
Angel lightly touched her arm. "I think it's pretty."
Willow sighed theatrically. "He's very romantic." She glared at Xander, who busily doodling a picture of an alien. "How come you're not romantic?"
"How come I'm not what?" he replied absently. His tongue stuck out of the corner of his mouth as he concentrated.
She poked him several times. When he failed to respond, she heaved another, more irritated sigh, and pulled a Dr. Seuss book from her backpack.
Cordelia looked over at Angel, who smiled shyly. "You can call me Cordy if it's easier."
He thought about it. "Your name is kinda long...pretty, though. Cordy's nice too..so's...Delia."
She hugged him happily. "Delia...you're so sweet."
His cheeks grew red but he looked pleased. "Thanks."
Xander finally looked up. He sighed.
"You're already whipped," he said sadly. "How can you stand that?"
Angel shrugged. "I like her."
Five year old Cordelia Chase walked into her kindergarden classroom, head held hight. She'd never been to school before, but Mommy had promised it would be lots of fun and she was determined to find that fun.
The teacher, a tall young man in black pants and a nice tie, smiled warmly at her as she pinned a nametag to her pink shirt. "Hello Cordelia. Welcome to kindegarden."
She gave him her best big-girl grin. "I have a new bear waiting for me at home."
He laughed, a nice calm laugh that made her stand up a bit taller. "I'm Mr. Walker. Why don't you sit over there at that table?"
She nodded and flounced over to the group he was pointing to. A small girl with red hair sat primly on a chair next to a messy-looking boy with dark hair and brown eyes.
Cordelia took a spot across from them. "Hi."
The girl smiled. "Hi. My name's Willow. I can even spell it." Screwing up her face in concentration, she thought hard, then recited, "W-I- L-L-O-W."
The boy slumped down, offering Cordelia a crooked smile. He was missing three teeth. "I'm Xander. I can't spell it."
"Xander?" Cordelia frowned. "That's a weird name."
"It's short for Alexander," Willow told her as he scowled. "But he doesn't like it much."
"Why don't you like it?" Cordelia was confused.
Xander shrugged. "Alex is a normal name. I'm a superhero!"
Cordelia cocked her head, taking in his holey blue jeans and green T- shirt. "Where's your cape?"
He scowled again. "It's...in the wash."
"'Cause he got chocolate all over it," Willow chimed in helpfully.
"Well, I'm Cordelia," the other girl said importantly.
"Cor-del-ia?" Xander sounded out. "That's a *really* weird name."
The brown-haired girl was hurt. "Is not."
"How 'bout we call you Cordy for short?" Willow soothed. Her voice dropped to a stage whisper. "That way Xander can actually say it."
Cordelia beamed. "Okay!"
She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up at Mr. Walker. The teacher grinned at them.
"I'm going to add one more person to this little group, okay? Kids, this is Angel."
"Angel?" Xander wrinkled his nose. "That's a girly name."
The new boy frowned. His brown hair was spiky in the front and he wore a black T-shirt with dark jeans and black sneakers—the tie-up kind, Cordelia noticed, impressed. He was very cute, she saw, and she decided then and there that she wanted to chase him and kiss him.
Angel sat down. "Hi."
"Hi!" Willow replied brightly. "I'm Willow. I can spell it too!"
Before she could go off on another one of her spelling tangents, Angel smiled. "Cool." He glanced uneasily at Xander, who showed off his missing teeth again.
"I'm Xander. I'm a superhero." The young man draped a friendly arm over the new boy's shoulders. "Even though you have a girly name, we can be friends. After all, boys gotta stick together."
Willow grabbed Xander in a fierce hug. "But you're my boyfriend!"
He blushed. Cordelia's eyes widened.
"I want a boyfriend!"
Xander laughed. "I wish I could help, but I'm a one-woman boy."
She scooted closer to Angel, who looked nervous pretty much automatically. "Will you be my boyfriend?"
The dark-haired little boy looked around. "Me?"
Cordelia nodded and he swallowed.
"I, uh...what would I have to do?"
She smiled even more sweetly. "Not much. Just don't talk to prettier girls..." She looked around. "Actually, that means you can talk to pretty much everbody."
He scratched his head. "Okay. What's your name?"
"Cordelia," she answered.
Xander rolled his eyes. "Wer-id," he sing-songed.
She felt her eyes grow moist. "Stop being such a stupid-head."
Angel lightly touched her arm. "I think it's pretty."
Willow sighed theatrically. "He's very romantic." She glared at Xander, who busily doodling a picture of an alien. "How come you're not romantic?"
"How come I'm not what?" he replied absently. His tongue stuck out of the corner of his mouth as he concentrated.
She poked him several times. When he failed to respond, she heaved another, more irritated sigh, and pulled a Dr. Seuss book from her backpack.
Cordelia looked over at Angel, who smiled shyly. "You can call me Cordy if it's easier."
He thought about it. "Your name is kinda long...pretty, though. Cordy's nice too..so's...Delia."
She hugged him happily. "Delia...you're so sweet."
His cheeks grew red but he looked pleased. "Thanks."
Xander finally looked up. He sighed.
"You're already whipped," he said sadly. "How can you stand that?"
Angel shrugged. "I like her."