Wishing

Disclaimer: I own none of the following. They belong to Joss and other people.
Rating: Actually, it’s going to start rising now. I’ll explain in a minute.
Archive: Anyone who wants it. Serendipity, Rae and Pal, Melissa…you can all have it.
Author’s Note: VERY IMPORTANT! Ok, do I have your attention? Good. Here’s what I wanted to say. I have finally decided on a title for theseries-A Change for the Better. (This is tentative, if anyone suggests something better I might change it. But for now, that’s it.)
Dedication: To Pal, cuz he gave me the idea for this part with one of his endless questions to make writing better, and cuz he's writing the best fic right now.
Timeline: ALSO IMPORTANT! Ok, I’ve decided that this entire thing happens during third season, after “The Zeppo” AND (You’re really going to hate me for this) there was no fluke. It just doesn’t fit with the rest of the story. So in “Lover’s Walk” when Willow and Xander were rescued, they were just talking. Maybe I’ll write that scene later, if I find it fits. Ok, here’s where it gets confusing. You see, in my universe, “The Zeppo” already happened, but “The Wish” hasn’t yet. Everyone got that? Think about it-Cordy hasn’t yet been scorned, so no wish. Ok, now read on. New viewpoint, new introduction of plot twist. I hope adding some actual plot doesn’t ruin it, but I already said that, didn’t I?

I suppose I knew it was coming. When you make out with a guy who’s very open about being head over heals for another girl. You get hurt. You get left behind. But I figured he would never get the courage to actually do it.

But when he burst into the library, I knew. Hell, everyone knew. Oz paled three shades and turned slightly green, Buffy had this little awed expression on her face, and Giles just smiled and went back to reading his book.

“Willow, I have to talk to you.” Xander says, and for a moment I believe I can actually feel the knife slide into my heart. As Willow stands up, so do I, running up into the stacks. Anywhere to get away from the scene I knew was going to be played out. I can feel everyone watch me go, but I don’t care. I’ll be all right in a minute. Just a minute.

I curl up in a corner and lean my head against a wall. My eyes are dry, interestingly enough. I don’t seem to be able to cry. It hurts too much.

I loose track of time as I sit there. I could have been there a few minutes or a few hours. But when I open my eyes again, a girl is standing in front of her. I recognize her as a new student, and feel myself becoming annoyed at her audacity. One of my few weak moments and someone has to be standing there watching. Of course.

“What?” I snap at her. She just smiles this knowing little smile and sits next to me.

“It hurts, doesn’t it?”

Part of me is wondering how she knows what’s going on, and another is tempted to lie and get up, putting on the good old ‘Ice Queen’ façade. But to my surprise, I answer honestly. “Yeah.”

She takes my hand and slips a necklace into it. I look at it in surprise, then back at her. The girl just shrugs. “To help you feel
better.”

I smile wanly. “Thanks, but I don’t think jewelry is going to do it this time.” Of course, I put the necklace on anyway. “You know, it’s not fair. I never had a chance! She always had his heart.” I smile evilly. “I wish she was the one who loved him all those years when he didn’t love her back. Then she’d know how it feels.”

The girl smiles and her eyes glow a really creepy red. “Done.” She says.

There is a flash of light bright enough to startle me into a shriek. I vaguely hear voices yelling my name and two hands grab my arm, then the light fades and I blink, looking around. The spot beside me, where the girl sat, is empty, and Willow and Xander each have a hand on my arm. They both look as confused as I feel.

“What happened?” asks Willow, and I shrug, pulling away from both of them.

“I don’t know. Weird girl, flash of light. The joys of living on the Hellmouth.”

“Giles.” Say the two in such perfect unison that for a moment I’m sure I’m going to be sick. I recover quickly, as always, and shoot them one of my patented Cordy glares. Only when I take a better look around do I notice something that had escaped my notice before. We were outside. Sort of. I stand up and try to take in the fact that the entire school seemed to be under construction after what appeared to be a large fire. Willow and Xander have noticed now too, and without a word we head to Giles’ apartment.

I don’t say much on the way. In truth, I don’t know what to say. I don’t know if they’ve worked things out or not, and really don’t care. The fact that they eventually will is obvious and I’d rather not be around to see it. I don’t think I could handle it.

We’re standing on the librarian’s doorstep now, waiting for the Englishman to come to the door. When he answers it, both Xander and Willow break into frantic explanations of the day’s events, while I stand there and watch the older man stare at us. He says nothing, but when I hear a voice in the background call, “Who is it, Giles?” his confusion makes a whole lot more sense.

Because behind him, two faces identical to those of my companions appear in the doorway. I sigh. “This is what wishing gets you on the Hellmouth, I suppose.”

The End