most foul

"Okay." Cordelia slowly nodded her head. "Th-that tracks."

"Her physics professor trying to kill her tracks?" Xander was amazed at that being what started Fred on the path to being a school teacher here in Sunnydale.

"He tried to kill her the first time around when he tossed her into a portal to Pylea. Just because she managed to survive didnt mean it wasnt a **** attempt."

Xander clicked his tongue. "Yeah. No denying that. Just... bit of a difference between what he did last time and what he did this time. This time he got a gun, waited until it was dark and tried to shoot her on her way home one night."

"Well, I guess he didn't know about magic this time." Cordelia blanched, "Oooh, crap, that means he shot and killed the other students he did this to before Fred."

Xander closed his eyes, "Right, cause this couldnt be an isolated incident. That would be to easy."

"The guy had problems." Cordelia agreed. "Killed any of his students he thought were smarter than him. Fred was the only one who survived Pylea."

"And now she's the only one who survived getting shot."

Cordelia laughed, "And she ended up at Sunnydale U to finish college because it's safer than the big city."

"And takes a job on the Hellmouth to boot." Xander snorted. "Goddamn, completely oblivious to the danger of jumping from the frying pan into the fire."

Cordelia murmurred her agreement.

"So what do you want to do?" Xander asked her. "She's your friend, I will follow whatever you decide to do."

Cordelia bit her bottom lip. After a minute of quiet thought she made her decision. "I wish Fred has been having dreams of her life on Pylea as a **** 'cow' and that in her dreams she is always heroically saved by us."

Xander gave Cordelia a little hug, "You have a plan?"

"I have a plan." Cordelia nodded her head.

Cordelia looked up at Xander and gave his hair her undivided attention.

"What?" Xander asked a little nervously.

"You dont exactly have long flowing in the breeze 'hero' hair." Cordelia reached up and ran a hand through his short cut hair.

"No, I have practical, cant really be grabbed by a vampire and pulled in a fist fight hair." Xander said pointedly.

"Can I... can I just try something. We can changed it right back."

Xander sighed, "I said I would follow your lead. So, yeah, go ahead."

Cordelia grinned, "I wish you had long hair like Brad Pitt in Legends of the Fall."

"I wish we had a mirror in here." Xander added as soon as she mentioned long hair, he was curious enough to see himself with long hair.

The two of them stared as Xander's hair was suddenly long straight hair down past his shoulders. Cordelia reached out and ran her hands thru it for a minute, playing with it, styling it. Eventually she shook her head. "No."

"No?" Xander asked looking himself over in the mirror. He didnt look bad. And he did like the feeling of Cordy running her fingers thru his long hair.

"Its okay. But it's not... pefect. I want this to be just right." Cordelia answered. "Fred's fantasy hero needs to look just right."

"Ah."

"I wish you had hair like Tom Cruise in Legend."

Xander barely had time to look at himself in the mirror before Cordelia was shaking her head. "Nope."

"What? Why not?"

"I wish you had hair like that preacher guy in that Sharon Stone gunfighter movie you made me watch." Cordelia talked over him.

"Russell Crowe in the Quick and the Dead." Xander supplied as he watched his hair change shape in the mirror.

Cordelia was nodding her head as she played with his hair. "There we go. Nice. Full body. A little wave, a little curl. Tom Cruise was too straight and just flopped around your face. Plus the combed back look made your forehead look bigger. This side part is much more attractive. And the way the front is cut... the way you hair comes to rest around your eyes emphasizes your eyes. You have very expressive eyes and should emphasize them."

Given the way she was still playing with his hair and the way she was still staring at him Xander fearfully asked, "What do you want to change next?"

"I wish you had jet black hair." Cordelia said immediately after being prompted.

She smiled as his hair changed color, "Ooh, yeah, that's it. I like that."

Xander shrugged. Looking himself over in the mirror. It made him look even more like Bruce Campbell. And he was more than fine with that. He looked over at his girlfriend, "Anything else?"

"I wish you had pale emerald eyes." Cordelia said excitedly. And she actually squealed when his eyes changed colors.

"Good?" He asked. Cordelia grinned at him and waggled her eyebrows. "Ready to go see your friend?"

Cordy bounced in place and squealed in the positive.