Title: Of Love and Demons
Author: Mburns31
Rating: PG-13
Timeline: Just after my story "Together", which took place during season 3's "Revealations".
Distribution: Just ask
Feedback: I'd love it
Summary: Willow and Xander face the fallout from their decision... and it may be worse than either of them ever imagined.
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all its characters belong to Mutant Enemy productions. Not me.
Author's note: There is no character bashing or 'ship bashing in this fic. However, when you are breaking up established couples in favor of an unconventional one, there is bound to be some friction and bad feelings. I've tried to treat everyone with the respect I feel they deserve, but if you're a big fan of W/O or X/C, this story might not be for you.

---

For most, the sewers beneath the streets of Sunnydale were a dangerous place. They were often used by vampires to move about during the day, and a few even called them home, so almost anyone who set foot in them was taking their life in their hands.

But that was not a concern for the figure that was presently moving through them. Even vampires gave it a wide berth.

After treading quietly through the tunnels for some time, the figure finally stopped. It cocked its head slightly and stood, motionless, for several minutes before finally relaxing. The expression on its inhuman face might have been satisfaction.

It had reached its destination. The place it had come in search of was now scant dozens of yards away.

It was the Hellmouth.

But, more importantly as far as this creature was concerned, it was a high school.

A high school that the Slayer happened to attend.

With a look around, the creature settled in to wait. Soon. It had to wait a few more hours before it could move against the Slayer.

But there was plenty to do in the meantime.

---

Buffy leaned back in her chair slightly, staring at her best friend in surprise. The silence of the library settled over them as she tried to think of an appropriate response to what Willow had just told her.

"Wow," she finally said.

"Yeah," Willow agreed. She shifted slightly in her seat across the table from Buffy, a worried expression on her face.

Another long moment passed before Buffy spoke again.

"So.... You and Xander."

"Xander and me," said Willow, nodding slowly. As the silence lengthened, she looked at her questioningly. "Buffy...?"

"I'm sorry," Buffy told her. "I'm just surprised, is all. I mean, I really thought that you'd moved on.... That you were over him."

"I thought I was too, I really did," her friend insisted. "But when we kissed, it was like everything I'd ever felt for him came rushing back," she continued, her face lighting up in one of the most dazzling smiles Buffy had ever seen from her. "And when he told me he loved me.... God, I felt... I can't even describe it."

However, as brilliant as Willow's smile was, it only lasted a moment before fading away, and soon she wore the same pensive expression that she had when Buffy had first seen her this morning.

"But.... There's Oz," Buffy said, guessing what her friend was thinking.

"Not that I'm being judgmental!" she continued hurriedly after seeing Willow's face darken even further. "No. Totally non-judgmental Buffy, at your service. But.... You know this is going to hurt him," she finished gently.

Willow sighed. "I know," she murmured sadly. "I feel terrible about it. I mean, he's great. He treats me so well.... But, Buffy, we've been going out for almost a year and I just don't feel for him what I do for Xander."

She shook her head. "I don't love him... and he deserves someone who does." With that, she fell silent, folding her hands in front of her and staring at them.

Buffy looked at her with deep concern. "So.... You're sure about this?"

"I think so," Willow replied. Then she shook her head forcefully. "No. I'm sure. But..." She paused briefly before looking up to meet her friend's eyes. "Buffy, I'm scared. I don't know what to say to Oz." A slightly panicked edge crept into her voice. "I've never broken up with anyone before! What if I do lasting emotional damage? What if he hates me? What if everyone hates me?"

Seeing Willow's obvious discomfort, Buffy stood and, taking her friend's hand, drew her to her feet and pulled her into a hug.

"Willow, it's okay," she reassured her. After holding her for a moment, she stepped back slightly and looked her friend in the eye.

"Will, you and Xander are my best friends," Buffy declared. "And I will always be your friend, no matter what. So don't worry about everyone hating you, because whatever happens, that won't be true." She smiled warmly and gave Willow's hand an affectionate squeeze.

Having calmed down somewhat, Willow answered her smile with one of her own. "Thanks, Buffy," she replied. "That means a lot, it really does."

"So, when are you going to tell him?" Buffy asked.

"I guess I shouldn't put it off any longer." Willow sighed, a sad look in her eyes. "I've been avoiding him all morning. But...." She shook her head again. "No. I should do it now." She picked up her backpack and headed for the library doors, Buffy following closely behind.

As they neared the doors, they swung open and Giles walked in, scowling. They stopped to greet him.

"Hey Giles," said Willow.

"What's with the grumpy Watcher look?" Buffy inquired.

Giles gave an exasperated sigh. "Apparently, there were two fights between students earlier this morning, so Principal Snyder called an emergency meeting of the faculty and spent twenty minutes lecturing us about how we all need to work harder to prevent on-campus violence."

Buffy smirked in amusement. "I'm sure the irony was completely lost on him."

"Yes, I've no doubt," Giles replied. Then he took on a thoughtful expression. "No one was seriously injured, but still... two fights in one morning, it is a bit out of the ordinary."

"You're thinking something... Hellmouthy?" Buffy wondered aloud, frowning.

"I don't know. It could just be coincidence," the Watcher mused. "But then again.... I suppose it couldn't hurt to do a little research, although there isn't much to go on."

Buffy glanced over at Willow, who had begun to fidget nervously next to her. Seeing this, she quickly turned back to Giles. "Well, have fun!" she told him cheerfully. She then took Willow's arm lightly and the two of them made for the exit.

"Let me know if I need to slay anything!" she called behind her before they exited through the double doors.

Giles stared after the two of them in mild puzzlement for a moment. Then, with a shrug of his shoulders, he turned and headed for his office.

---

Willow stood against a row of lockers, trying to gather her courage. Across the hall, she could see Oz in a classroom, apparently in a conversation with a few other students.

"Okay," she said, glancing over at Buffy. "I just... go in there, and tell him the truth. That's the best thing to do, right?" She nodded in answer to her own question. "Okay. I can do this." She strode purposefully across the hall to the classroom door.

She had almost made it inside when her nerve broke, and she turned around and ran back over to Buffy.

"Oh God, I can't do this!" she moaned. Dozens of different horrible scenarios about how Oz would react raced through her mind.

Buffy gently laid a hand on her arm. "Willow... you told me you'd made up your mind about this."

Willow sighed. "I know," she replied. "I have. I know what I have to do." She turned back to face the classroom where Oz was now gathering up his books.

Buffy looked at her sympathetically. "Look, I'll be in the lounge, if you want to talk, okay?" At Willow's answering nod, she turned and headed off down the hall.

Taking a deep breath, Willow made her way across the hall. Fighting down the butterflies in her stomach, she entered the classroom. Oz had his back to her as he loaded up his backpack, and she approached him slowly.

"Hey, Oz," she called out as the last of the students filed out the door behind her.

At the sound of her voice, Oz turned around, his happiness at seeing her evident on his face. "Hey," he said in greeting. He seemed about to say something else, but after taking in her expression, his smile faded, replaced by an expression of concern.

"What's wrong?" he asked her.

"Oz... we need to talk," Willow replied, struggling to keep her composure.

"Okay." He kept his tone neutral, but Willow could tell that he was getting worried. "What's up?"

"It's about us," she told him quietly.

"I get the feeling that I'm not going to like what I'm about to hear."

"Oz.... This past year, you've been great. Really, you have," Willow said sincerely. "And I... I..." She foundered, completely unsure of what to say next.

"You're breaking up with me," Oz stated flatly. It was not a question.

"I'm sorry." Willow's eyes filled with tears. "I wish things could be different..."

The change that came over Oz as she spoke broke Willow's heart. His shoulders slumped and he turned away from her slightly. His eyes looked... dead.

"I see..." Oz said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Oz..." Willow began, trying desperately to think of something to say to him.

"Look, I'd better just go," he said, sounding utterly defeated. He shouldered his backpack and headed for the classroom door.

"Oz, please don't think this is your fault," Willow pleaded as she stepped after him, tears running freely down her face now.

He stopped and glanced back at her. "Just... leave me alone. Please." He walked dejectedly out of the room as Willow stared helplessly after him.

Oh God, what have I done? she wondered. She sniffled and wiped her eyes on her sleeve before leaving the classroom, walking quickly down the hall in the opposite direction from Oz. She didn't know where she was going - she just knew that she had to get away from here.

---

"So what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" Cordelia asked.

Xander leaned back against the teacher's desk at the front of the classroom. A few students filed by outside the door, but he paid them no attention as he thought about what he was going to say.

The truth was, he was concerned about Cordelia's feelings and didn't want to hurt her. It was something of a new concept to him after the years of animosity they had between them, but he actually cared about her... which made what he had to say to her that much harder.

"There's something I need to tell you," Xander replied. He was sure she wasn't going to take this well...

His nervousness must have shown through, because Cordelia fixed him with a wary look. "Okay..." she said slowly.

I'd better just tell her.... It'd be worse to drag it out, Xander thought to himself. He took a deep breath.

"I'm in love with Willow," he declared, the words leaving his mouth in a rush.

Cordelia blinked. "What?" The single word she spoke was quiet, but carried a hard edge.

"I'm in love with Willow," he repeated softly, before hurrying on. "Look, Cordelia..."

She didn't give him a chance to finish. "You're in love with Willow? Willow Rosenberg? The girl you swore to me that you didn't have any feelings for beyond friendship?"

She didn't wait for an answer. "You've known her for over ten years now and you just now figured this out?" she continued angrily. "God, Xander, you must be the biggest idiot in the whole state!"

"Okay, fair cop to that," Xander replied, unable to find it in his heart to argue that point.

She took a step toward him, leaning forward for emphasis. "Do you have any idea what I gave up to be with you?" she hissed. "How far I had to lower myself on the social ladder?"

Xander bit back his first reply. She's not the bad guy here, he reminded himself. "Believe me when I say I didn't plan for this to happen," he said instead, carefully keeping his tone level.

"Well, that's comforting," Cordelia retorted sarcastically. "It's great to know that you trampling all over my feelings was just a great big accident."

"Cordelia, I'm sorry..." Xander began, but got no further.

"You're sorry?" she shot back, cutting him off. "Well, that just makes it all okay, doesn't it? You come in here and tell me you're in love with someone else after all I sacrificed to be with you, after all I put up with from you, and then you have the gall to tell me you're sorry?" Her voice had risen steadily throughout her tirade, and she shouted her last words at him, punctuating them with a hard slap to his face.

Her face a fiery mask of rage, she screamed, "You are sorry, Xander! You're the sorriest excuse for a human being I've ever met!"

With that, she stormed off, breezing past a small group of students that had gathered in front of the classroom door to watch what was going on. As Xander turned to look at them, they moved on down the hall, talking quietly amongst themselves.

Still slightly stunned by her outburst, Xander looked out across the empty room, raising a hand to his still-stinging cheek.

"Yep.... That went well," he said aloud.

With a sigh, he exited the room, walking slowly down the hall, wondering when it was he became such a cretin.

---

Finishing the last of her lunch, Buffy gathered up the wrappings on the table in front of her and threw them in the trash. She leaned back on the couch with a sigh, looking around the lounge briefly before rummaging through her backpack.

Cosmo won out over chemistry for reading material, but the magazine couldn't hold her interest - every few moments she glanced up from the pages, checking to see if Willow had come to find her. As the minutes wore on with no sign of her friend, she started to grow concerned.

She was just contemplating going to check on her when she saw Xander approaching.

"Hey, Buff," he greeted her, slumping down on the couch across from where she sat.

"Hey, Xander," she replied. She was about to ask him about Willow, but stopped when she saw him gingerly raise a hand to his cheek.

"What happened?" she asked, concerned.

"Cordelia's stronger than she looks," Xander muttered in response.

"Ah," Buffy said knowingly. "Willow told me about you two.... I take it Cordy didn't take the news well?"

"Understatement of the year," Xander sighed. "I don't know, Buffy..." He paused for a moment, then shook his head. "I've seen Cordelia get angry before, and I've been her target more than a few times, but I've never seen her like this."

She looked at Xander sympathetically. Cordelia was perfectly justified in being angry, but Buffy still didn't like to see her friends in pain.

Speaking of my friends.... Buffy leaned forward on the couch, looking down the hall, hoping to catch a glimpse of Willow.

Noticing this, Xander asked, "What is it?"

"Willow," she replied. "She was going to talk to Oz, but that was a while ago now. I hope everything's okay... well, as okay as it can be, anyway."

Xander stared morosely at his hands, folded in front of him, and offered no response to her words. A long moment of silence passed between them. Buffy was trying to think of something to say to him when, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Oz walk into the lounge.

He was staring dejectedly at the ground, not meeting anyone's eyes, seemingly oblivious to all the people around him. He plodded slowly through the area, making his way over to the stairs to the school's second floor as Buffy looked on sadly.

Xander stiffened, clearly uncomfortable at the sight. Buffy understood the feeling. Oz had never been exactly what she'd call bubbly, but she'd never seen him look so... hopeless, either.

After he had left, Xander stood up. "I'd better go find Willow," he said quietly. "She can't be feeling too good right now. I'll see you later, Buff."

"Okay. See you later," Buffy replied sympathetically as he set off down the hall.

As she watched him leave, she tried to reassure herself about what she had just seen... and heard. Everyone will be okay eventually.... I hope.

---

Giles sipped at his tea while paging slowly through the book on his desk. He had been researching the incidents that had taken place that morning for the past couple of hours and was beginning to grow frustrated. There simply wasn't enough to go on. There were many different supernatural forces that could cause sudden outbursts of violence from otherwise normal people, and he had no way of telling which was at work here... or even if any of them were.

He was nearing the end of the volume when the phone on his desk rang. He answered it without taking his eyes off the text in front of him.

"Sunnydale High library," he said in greeting.

"Hello, Rupert."

"Hello, Quentin," he replied, recognizing the gravelly voice of the head of the Watcher's Council immediately. "How are things in London?"

"We'll have to save the small talk for another time, Rupert," Quentin Travers said gravely. "We have a situation. You and the Slayer may be in great danger."

---

Oz sat listlessly in his seat in history class, not hearing a single word that the teacher was saying. Sadness and misery hung over him like a cloud. He felt like he should be crying, but he couldn't even muster up the energy to do that.

He'd lost her. He'd lost Willow, and there was nothing he could do to get her back. She'd made him so happy - like no one else ever had. And now that was gone, and he didn't know how he was going to live without it.

He wasn't even sure that he could.

---

Cordelia sat, stewing, in English class. At the front of the room, the teacher prattled on about the finer points of composition, but she paid no attention to him. Instead, she was replaying her conversation with Xander in her mind, over and over again.

How dare he? How dare he treat her like her feelings didn't matter? She was Cordelia Chase, not some loser he could just toy with and then discard when he got bored with her. She wasn't about to let him get away with this.

Xander was going to pay for what he'd done, she thought, gripping the side of her desk so hard her knuckles turned white.

---

Xander walked quickly up the path to Willow's house, stopping in front of the door and ringing the bell anxiously. A few moments passed with no answer, and he rang again before glancing through the windows next to the door. He saw no sign that anyone was home.

Where is she? Xander thought. He was beginning to get worried. He had searched all over school grounds for her and, when he hadn't found her there, thought that she must have gone home. But if she wasn't here....

It was still daylight, so there was no danger of vampires, but Xander was still concerned. He had seen how Oz had reacted to their conversation, and knowing Willow as he did, he knew that she had to be feeling awful about it. He didn't want her to have to go through this alone.

He was standing on the porch pondering where to go to look for her next when a thought suddenly struck him. He walked around the side of the house, making his way to the gate into the Rosenbergs' backyard. Passing through, he spied a familiar figure sitting under the large oak tree at the rear of the enclosure.

"Hey, there you are," he said in greeting. Willow looked up at him, but said nothing. Xander could see that she had been crying.

He walked over and sat down next to her, leaning back against the tree trunk. He remained silent for the moment, looking up at the sky, watching thin trails of clouds make their way through the vast expanse of blue.

"We used to sit out here a lot," he recalled, still looking upwards, thinking back now to years gone by. He and Willow would play in the yard together, then when they were finally too tired to run anymore, they'd sit here in the shade of the branches and talk about their hopes, their dreams, everything under the sun.

"I remember," Willow replied softly. She idly picked a blade of grass out of the ground and twirled it around her finger. "Things were so much simpler back then, weren't they?" she sighed.

"Yes they were," Xander agreed. He thought back to when his biggest worry was whether or not he'd like what Willow's mother made for dinner when he came to spend the night. That seemed like a completely different world now... and not just because he'd found out that vampires and demons were real.

Things that had used to be very simple were now incredibly complicated. His relationship with Willow, for one. Back then, they were best friends and that was all they ever wanted or needed each other to be.

But that had changed, and other people - people they cared about - had gotten hurt as a result. He felt bad about Oz. And Cordelia....

Just a couple of years ago, he never would have worried about hurting Cordelia Chase's feelings. Hell, he probably would have even been happy about it, given how she'd treated him and Willow.

But now....

He looked over at Willow just as she turned toward him, her eyes wet with unshed tears. "Xander...." She murmured his name, her voice unsteady, and he scooted closer to her.

"We'll be all right, Will," he said soothingly, putting an arm around her and drawing her closer to him. She rested her head on his shoulder and Xander put all his thoughts about what he'd done to Cordelia aside for the time being. His pain wasn't important; Willow needed him.

To be continued