The reason

Xander furrowed his brow as he looked at the girl he loved. And he was suddenly struck by the fact that he still, to this day, did not know why he had started kissing Willow on the sly. Why had he betrayed Cordelia?

Well, he could fix that.

"I wish we knew why I had been kissing Willow."

The answer was in two parts apparently.

Xander understood the first part easily. Willow was a pillar of his life and life was about to change for them, perhaps removing her from his life entirely. Separation was inevitable with high school ending and Willow going off to college. Their fling was the two of them afraid of letting the other go and trying to make a deeper connection.

The second reason was the reason that blew their minds.

Xander just stared at nothing trying to comprehend it all. Cordelia seethed and stalked away hissing and cursing under her breath.

He couldnt blame her. He'd probably handle the revelation worse. How else do you handle the fact that your whole life is just a set up for some elder being of the universe to renter the plane of existence. Cordelia's whole life was seemingly not her own. Everything done to make her reach the point where she would become a mother to this being, actually birthing it into the world at the cost of her own life.

All the problems she'd faced this past year all designed to isolate her from what she needed and to drive her away into isolation.

And the worst part was... it wasnt even over. There was five more years of hardship and practically **** ahead of her. Culminating in her own ****.

Xander found he couldnt deal with that. Instead he locked onto the part where this eldritch being had **** Cordelia and him together. Knowing that they would click and could love each other despite difficulties... only to make a break up painful enough that Cordelia would choose to abandon her hometown and anyone that would know her well enough to spot the moment she was replaced with a different being.

So was their whole relationship a lie? Just another step in the plan of this Eldritch being?

His introspection was derailed as Cordelia stomped up to him and grabbed his shirt. "C'mon."

"What? What are we doing?" He asked as she jerked him toward her.

"We are having sex. RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW! I decide how and when I lose my virignity and to who! No stupid old god is going to cockblock me from the man I love." Cordelia shouted at the roof. "AGAIN!"

Fear shot through Xander as Old Gods was one of the things Anya and the wishing might not be able to handle. But considering this was a slow burn campaign of moving things only slightly, changing incrementally small things... all low power changes. Instead of standing up to the full might of a old gods power where reality could be remade. Maybe Anya's power was enough to protect them?

"I wish we were protected from Cordelia's... puppet master and her minions?" He looked at Anya in confusion.

Anya shrugged her shoulders but said, "Wish granted."