Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Four

What if we had normal lives?

A/N to lighten the mood, here is a nicer What If, kinda based on the Pilot episode of the show. But like the next day.

Sunnydale, CA - January 1997

"Hey Buff, how's your second day going?" Xander chanted down the hallway. Willow hot on his heels, her backpack swinging over her shoulder. Buffy approached them smiling, a big pile of books in her hand.

"Good, but I have gym today and I just can't. Willow help me please, it's a total disaster. What am I going to do?" Buffy replied, her hands connecting with Willow's as they communicated in a kind of language Xander didn't understand. Was he even supposed to?

"What have you done?" Xander said cluelessly. He hung around behind them as the girls chatted over the hideous clothes they were forced to wear. He wasn't exactly sure how girls worked, but maybe if he hung out with them for long enough he would start to understand. "Hey Jesse, over here!" He called when he spotted his best friend strolling down the hall.

"Alright Xand," he said, outstretching his hand and then performing an intricately rehearsed handshake. "How's it hangin'?"

"Well, the girls have gym class and apparently that's a complete disaster for some reason that is unknown to the boys of the species." Xander returned, his eyes fixing once again on Buffy and Willow. It seemed they had moved on from gym class and were now talking about something else undecipherable.

"When are you going to get a girlfriend and finally learn something about women?" Jesse said, his eyes trailing the other 'women' of their class walking down the hallway. "Speaking of which, Cordelia Chase is headed right this way." Jesse ducked behind his friend and Xander was left standing defencelessly in front of his locker, trying to look like he wasn't hiding a teenage boy almost a foot taller than him.

Cordelia walked past, her heels clicking with each step. She glanced Xander's way and gave a wry smirk, not stopping to say hi. She was the picture of popularity, carrying her handbag under her arm and a shade of lipstick so deadly she could be mistaken for a vampire. But of course, vampires don't exist. "She's so perfect," Jesse said when she was out of earshot.

"Perfectly evil," Buffy replied, turning back to the boys. Willow agreed, Cordelia was bad news. Whenever she went on the prowl for someone new to pick on, no one was safe. She had been eyeing up Buffy ever since she'd rejected the offer of friendship. But Willow had invited her to lunch and she wanted to start making friends who weren't going to dump her when she got a new haircut.

CLANG

The bell signified the start of classes and anyone still hanging around in the corridor would be reprimanded by Vice Principal Snyder. Punishments were hard and fast at Sunnydale High, if the Principal didn't lock you in the basement, he'd suspend you for a month. Or at least that would be the case, if Snyder was in charge. Instead you got sent to Principal Flutie and he usually waived any sort of punishment in favour of the 'lesson you learned along the way.' This was how Xander had ended up in 'class community service' for the past few weeks.

When they arrived in class the gang found their seats and sharpened their pencils. Jesse reckoned History with Mr Miller was like getting your eyeballs gouged out, so he was often late and would come in dragging his heels about fifteen minutes before the end of the class. Fifteen minutes of Mr Miller was all he could bare before he started jeering at the poor man. Willow was doing his homework for him. He wasn't paying her because she felt bad enough to do it for him, but with a warning that if he didn't start coming to class he was going to fail.

By the time the next bell went Xander was in the middle of making a paper aeroplane to throw at Cordelia. Everyone packed up their books and went off to lunch. "Next chapter by next class please," Mr Miller shouted after them down the hall, but only Willow was listening. There were tater tots awaiting in the cafeteria.

"So where are we congregating tonight ladies?" Xander asked, rubbing his hands together. His bag slid off his back and down beside his chair as he picked up a tot and threw it into his mouth.

"I think the Bronze is having a fumigation party," Willow suggested. Buffy looked at her blankly, so she clarified. "Smash a cockroach, get a free drink. It's a groovy deal." She smiled to herself and went on picking at her PB and J.

"Will, we are not bringing 'groovy back.'" Xander replied, "but really Buff, it's a sweet deal."

"Alright then, how do I get there?" Buffy said, her tone picking up. Things were looking up, she was making friends. Her mom would be pleased when she told her, ever since they left LA she was worried she wouldn't get along with anybody.

"Oh don't worry, me and Will can swing by and pick you up." Xander said, peering at Jesse. He was being quiet and scratching something off the edge of the table. "What are you doing?" Jesse looked up, acting like nothing was going on. He shrugged, so Xander raised an eyebrow.

"Miller gave me detention. I was already on thin ice being grounded, but this'll drive dad nuts. I can't come out tonight." Jesse admitted, looking up at the rest of them with sad, soppy eyes.

"Shame Jess, you might just have to start coming to class." Xander took himself off the table and sat on his chair backwards, his hand resting on Jesse's shoulder as they worked through their lunch.

"Buffy!" Joyce called from the bottom of the stairs, "your friends are here." Buffy smoothed over her dress once more in the mirror, before reapplying her chapstick. She looked good, she looked like she used to. Like her old self again. She grabbed a bag and raced down the stairs to find Willow and Xander tucking into a bowl of chips her mom had left out.

"You know Buff, you should invite us round more often."

"I don't think we were actually invited Xander," Willow chimed in. It was cold out so she was wearing blue overalls and one of her hats. "Thanks Buffy's mom," she called to the kitchen, from which Joyce suddenly appeared.

"Oh don't worry Willow, and call me Joyce. I'm just glad Buffy's already made some good friends." She hung in the doorway for a few more minutes as she watched her daughter smiling again. It'd been a while since Buffy had friends round. It'd been a while since Buffy had been anything other than trouble, but Willow and Xander seemed like nice kids.

"Why don't we get going?" Buffy said, telling her mom she'd be back later and that she'd be fine and she didn't need to worry.

The Bronze was busy. Teenagers swarming all over the place, they recognised almost everybody. Most of the people from school were there, the Bronze was the place. Buffy, Willow and Xander walked in with a sway about them. They bagged a table in the middle of the crowd and Xander went up to the bar to get them some drinks. They were mostly drinking grape soda and coke, kids' drinks. The place was normally heaving in high schoolers but there was the college kid hanging around.

"So what about these cockroaches then? It doesn't seem like we're in roach city." Buffy said, sliding into a stool and sipping on her coke through a straw.

Willow glanced around the floor for a bit then took one of her shoes off. "Here's one," she said, thwacking a roach onto the table. "Another coke please Xander," she declared. Holding up her empty bottle and shaking it in Xander's general direction.

"I just sat down! Alright, but only because it's you." He said, walking back towards the bar. Willow's eyes following him, a smile glowing on her lips. Buffy was watching her closely, she'd noticed the way Willow watched Xander. The way she beamed when he smiled at her and paid her the tiniest bit of attention. They were best friends, but it was obvious Willow wanted more.

"Hey, so when are you going to stop drooling over him and do something about it?" She asked, watching Willow's face fall slightly as she realised how quickly Buffy had clocked on.

"He's, he's just so- I don't know. I can't Buffy. What if I say something and totally screw up our friendship? And there's no way he likes me like that. He likes pretty girls, girls like Cordelia Chase." Willow stammered, choking on the words. Looking down at her empty drink on the verge of sighing. She glanced back to the bar to see if she could spot Xander coming back.

"You are pretty Willow, and you're definitely smarter than all those girls." Buffy replied, hushing her voice to a whisper as Xander reappeared behind Willow. He slapped another bottle of coke down in front of her and gave a little bow.

"Your drink m'lady." He mimed tipping his hat and then sat down next to the girls.

"What do you think Xander-" Buffy started, Willow glared at her. "Do you think Willow is pretty?"

Xander sputtered, his face flushed a little bit as he looked around him. He felt awkward. "I-I Willow I. I um, you're my best friend. We've known each other since we were six. I've never really thought about it."

"That's okay Xand, don't pop a braincell." Buffy chimed in, trying to cover up Willow's embarrassed red face. She felt bad for putting her foot in it, she could see Willow hadn't wanted her to say anything. She'd never had sensitive friends before. She'd had plenty of friends who gossiped and talked about boys and didn't act like their feelings could ever be hurt. She wanted this to be different. Fresh Start. Sorry Will, she mouthed over the table as Willow hid her face in her hands. Xander was worse, he wouldn't stop glaring around and around the club looking for someone that clearly wasn't there.

"Anyway, let's talk about something else. What else is fun to do in this town?" Buffy tried to change the subject. But the others seemed a little unresponsive. Willow looked at Buffy with her big green anime eyes. They were red in the corners.

"I'm just going to... go." Willow said hesitantly, then pointed towards the toilet block.

"Will wait," Buffy got up and followed her, leaving Xander sitting pretty clueless on his own.

Cordelia sidled up behind him and smirked when she saw he was sitting alone. "So, all your little friends left you huh?" She asked smarmily. She had a trick to her voice that made Xander's bones creak. A shiver rose up his spine but he stayed hunched over his drink. He didn't like to see Willow upset, especially when he was the cause of her upset.

"Leave me alone Cordelia."

She sat down and looked him over. Her eyes just glazing over like she had something on her mind. Xander didn't notice, he never noticed. That's why she kept a stiff lip around him, never let her guard down enough that he would see she cared about him.

Eventually Buffy and Willow came back from the bathroom. They were laughing together about something Buffy had said, arm in arm like they'd been best friends their whole lives. They sat back at the table and Willow sipped her coke quietly. Xander fumbled over his words trying to apologise, so in the end she just let him off the hook. They were best friends after all, there was no point holding grudges.