"You sound insane, Xander." Willow told him. "The Shadows and the Vorlons don't exist! They're made up characters on a tv show, for gods sakes!"
"And eight or nine months ago, I would have said vampires don't exist. And I've already proven to Giles that my telepathy is real, Willow. If you let me, I can show you what Alexander found when he scanned your counterpart. Or are you afraid to see how easily she was taken over? How by doing something other Giles warned her could open her up to forces she might never be able to control and stuffing a human soul into a dead body to be a cage for a demon she made herself vulnerable to take over by outside forces? Do you want to see what they were doing to her? What they told her to do and she willingly did do, thinking it was what she wanted to do? Including trying and nearly succeeding in destroying my counterpart's happiness, his hopes and dreams, just because she didn't like that he wrapped all that up in a girl you and she hate? I can show you his pain and confusion over the actions your counterpart imposed on him, his attempts to figure out why he was acting that way. Blaming himself and subconscious fears. All you have to do is give me your hand and I'll show you what Alexander found when he scanned them, what you did and could do again, here, in this reality."
"Fine, prove it!" Willow held out her hand defiantly and Xander took it in his. Images and feelings began to swirl though her head. The darkness Alexander found in other her's mind, the orders imprinted in her. Her attempts to break other Xander and Cordelia up, her guilty feeling. Then the images and feelings shifted and were the other Xander's. Confusion, guilt, despair, pain. Other Cordelia's, rage, agonizing pain and not from the rebar though her side, her own hopes and dreams crumbling. And then switching back to other Xander as hope bloomed in him again as Cordelia offered an olive branch and said they could talk.
'Now do you see, Willow?' She 'heard' Xander's voice in her head. 'What she did, what you could do? Do you feel that pain she caused? Because neither you nor Buffy understood what you were doing to a soul, didn't want to understand, because it clashes with what you wanted to be true. It wasn't Magic that allowed them to take her over, that was just the bridge they used. It was arrogance, overconfidence, that's what let them in. Do you see what they were doing to her? What they intended for her to become? They were programming her to be a mind raping, black magic using control freak and the whole time she thought it was what she wanted. She didn't fight any of of it. All she had was some guilt over realizing she was messing with other Xander's happiness and then she dumped it all on him when they were caught and added to his burden. And again, she thought it was what she wanted. Do you see how her motives and theirs matched up? Both you and she tricked something out of your imagination that you decided was what we should be and never bothered to even ask us or see the truth of us. Do you see how selfish that is? We can be friends, family when you can accept the reality of me and stop trying to make me what you want me to be.'
Willow felt tears sliding down her cheeks. She never meant any of that. "I thought I could make you happy." She whispered, as Xander released her mind. "I thought I was the only one who understood you and therefore the only one who could make you happy. I never knew you at all, I never wanted to. But you know me, warts and all and you're still willing to call me family. Why?"
"Because you opened your heart and door to a lonely, scared little boy terrified of his father. You tried to help even if it was the wrong way, except for Jesse, no one else did. No one else cared."
"I do care, Xander. I guess I was wrong about how I care, but I do care. Am I being influenced in this reality?"
"Not that I could see. I can build blocks in your mind, like Giles let me build in his and he's researching other ways of protecting our minds. Whether they exist here or not, plenty of other things do that could cause problems."
"Do it. Put the blocks in and while you're at it, could you do something about my arrogance and overconfidence? They do tend to get me in trouble."
"No." Xander said. "That would constitute messing with you, influencing you myself. If you want to change, Willow, then you're going to have to figure out how to do it yourself. I'll do the blocks and periodic scans, but I won't do anything that would violate your mind, your sense of self. Don't ever ask me to do anything like that again. I know you don't understand what you asked and I'm not sure if that's ignorance or naivety. But I would think after what I just showed you, you'd think twice about asking someone to alter your mind. Or taking the easy way out. Protect your mind yes, alter it no."
"You're right, I'm sorry. Go ahead and do the blocks."
"And when you're done with that." Cordelia's voice said. "You can show me." They turned to see her standing just inside the library doors. "I want to know what it is you're hoping for from me, that she gave him."