Title: ...Because it might become true.
Author: Adalisa
Email: [email protected]

Feedback: What can I say? I've become addicted to it.
Distribution: Mama Chelle's site, XanderSlash's site and my site. Anywhere else, just ask. I won't say no.
Web site: http://members.tripod.com/luxshine/

Summary: Cordelia makes a different wish that changes Sunnydale in a very drastic way.
Rating: PG-13.

Disclaimer: Xander, Angel, and everybody else here is property of Joss Wheldon, Warner Bros. And another bunch of people. But they keep treating them bad, so I play with them.

Content: X/A

Spoilers: The Wish. I still haven't seen it, so they might not be accurate.
Notes: This is the Sequel of "Be careful..." I was thinking the whole weekend on how to fix this... And saw Lovers' Walk in the mean time... About that, only three things: Spike rocks, Xander is gorgeous and noble, Willow is a bitch. Hope you like this.

It had been two weeks since Cordelia made that stupid wish, and erased Xander from her life. Two weeks of living in the open Hellmouth, helping the few resistance fighters that tried to kill both the Master and the Anointed One.

Two weeks of missing Xander more than everything else in her old life, and of knowing that the only way to bring him back, was find the way to accept the fact that she had lost him.

After throwing the bomb of the almost impossible way to break Anyanka's spell, Mrs. Madison had given them a little glimpse of hope. Anyanka was powerful, but not powerful enough to absolutely erase a human soul from existence. There was a slim chance that she had interpreted Cordelia's wish as: Xander never had been born in Sunnydale, so maybe he had been born somewhere else, and had a very different life.

Of course, that left them with the almost impossible mission to find Xander somewhere in the world, and Cordelia with the knowledge that he might not be the one she had fell in love with, since he hadn't lived in Hellmouth. Worst, Amy had called her aside to tell her a small detail that her mother had omitted. If she broke Anyanka's spell by letting Xander love someone else, the demon could take revenge by making Xander fall in love with that same person in the right time-line. She hadn't told this to anyone... after living one day in the Hellmouth she felt of it as her just punishment.

Still, they searched, using the phone, and the net.

In the meantime, Cordelia had to help, as her counterpart had obviously done. She got to be somewhat good with the crossbow, and Angel trained her with the staff. In that time, a friendship bloomed between them... Cordelia tired to make him understand that Buffy's dead hadn't been his fault, and Angel eased her guilt about Xander. She told him endlessly stories about Xander, now not only about their adventures in the closed Hellmouth, but also about their happy, calm and peaceful times. About Xander's apparently eternal clueless state when it came to Willow's feelings, his time dating Ampata, short as it had been, his absolute loyalty towards his friends... And when her memory failed, when the new reality tried to impose itself on her mind, it was Angel the one who reminded her of those happier times... he had come to learn the same stories by heart.

At least, Cordelia mused, Angel's life hadn't been as terrible with Buffy's dead... At least, he hadn't had to carry the guilt of turning into Angelus again. But Giles, Oz and Devon were completely different to what she remembered. Giles seemed to live in a perpetual state of anger, and of annoyance. He lived for research, and rarely was seen to smile. He had taken Jenny's death at Eyghon's hand much more personal than her death at Angelus' hands in Cordelia's reality, and blamed himself for each death in town, from Buffy's and Kendra's to every homeless man or young student that was captured by the vampires or Ampata's foul magic. Oz in the other hand, although as quiet as Cordelia remembered, seemed only capable of feeling hate. His other time calm and logical stare had been replaced by a dull mirror of hate towards everything in the world.

He wasn't a werewolf, but he had turned into a coldblooded killer. Cordelia had seen him kill more than once... victims that had been badly hurt and without medical attention would die... But instead of taking them to a hospital, Oz killed them, and each dead made Cordelia feel worse. Devon was no longer the egocentric non-worrying singer. He barely took care of himself, and seemed consumed by the need of killing every single magical creature that came upon them. Cordelia hated to see her friends so changed, missing her old reality every day more.

That night they were hunting and where attacked by a group of vampires. Twenty vampires in total proved to be more than a worthy match for the remaining Slayerettes, and although Oz and Angel had managed to dust some, Cordelia was sure that this was the end.

Suddenly, the vampire that was holding her turned to dust in front of her, and she found herself face to face with a red haired girl that she barely remembered from her reality.

"You know Rookie, you should let this for girls who know what they're doing... Or at least have the body to do it" The red head said, at the same time she kicked another vampire, throwing Cordelia right into Angel's arms.

"Who is she?" the girl asked, not sure of what was going on.

The girl snickered as she managed to free Oz from the vampire he was struggling with, and helped the young man to dust it. "Don't you know? I'm the Slayer." Then she turned around and kicked yet another vampire who meet her high heels right in his chest. "Name's Faith. Obviously I got just in time." In that moment, a burst of ash appeared behind her, and the rest of the vampires scattered. Faith just kneeled and picked up the arrow that had saved her.

"In time to get killed. " Another voice said. It was a male voice that Cordelia knew very well, and she barely believed her eyes when she saw him step into the light.

He was wearing a pair of faded, ripped jeans, a white t-shirt with it's sleeves rolled up, showing up a pair of tattoos in each arm, a stake in the left, a weird symbol in his right. He was carrying a crossbow in his left hand, and various stakes from his belt. And he was smiling.

"XANDER!!!" Cordelia cried out, and jumped into the surprised young man's arms.

Cordelia hugged Xander as if her life depended on it. Now that she could feel the warmth of his body, she felt safe. Everything would be all right now that Xander was there.

But her joy was interrupted by the sheer pain of having her hair strongly pulled to take her away from his arms.

"Hey, Rookie! What are you doing to my toy?!" Faith asked, obviously annoyed. It was that phrase what brought Cordelia to reality, reminding her that it was not her world, that her petty desires had transformed her Sunnydale into a new version of hell...

And Xander was looking at her as if he had never seen her before, which was true... he was not Xander.

"What can I say, F?" He asked, Xander's normally cheerful tone tainted with sarcasm. "I'm big with Slayer chicks."

"But they're not what you're looking for, are they, X?" Faith sounded extremely annoyed as she pointed her stake to both of them.

"Who are you?" Oz asked, untrustfully . "Are we going to believe that you're the Slayer just 'coz you say you're her?"

"Faith has killed more vampires than what you can count, kid." Not-Xander pointed out, as he disengaged himself from Cordelia. "Besides, you are not in the position to be picky."

Oz looked as if he were to say something, staring right into Not-Xander's eyes. They stood like that for what seemed eternal minutes, until Oz turned his head down, defeated. "Let's take them to the Bronze. Giles will want to see the new Slayer."

They walked in silence, as Cordelia studied Not-Xander's movements. He seemed more sure than what she remembered. As if he had nothing to fear, nothing to hide. And there was the fact that Faith had looked jealous.

Maybe... maybe that meant that they were a couple. She gulped. It was not perfect, but... If he loved her, she would wish him happiness.

Then the world would turn back to what it was before her stupid wish.

Giles received Faith with seemingly mixed emotions. He had been contacted two months ago by the Council earlier, informing him that the new Slayer would be on her way to Sunnydale, so he said that he was glad that she was finally in town... but no one had told him about the young man that accompanied her. And when Devon learned that Cordelia had identified him as Xander, the other time singer didn't seem any happier than the Watcher.

"So you're the mighty Xander... Not that impressive..." He said, only to be meet by the cold stare of Not-Xander.

"I'm guessing you're either confusing me with someone, or that living in this Hellish place has all your brains scrambled. My name is not Xander." As he spoke, Not-Xander sat in the stage, looking at the books in the shelves.

"Then who are you?" Giles asked him. They hadn't told either Faith or Not-Xander about Cordelia's wish since they wanted to learn as much as they could, to learn how different was this Not-Xander from the Xander Cordelia remembered.

"My name is Alexander Harris, but my friends call me just X." The young man said, flippantly placing a new bolt in the crossbow he carried. "I'm Faith's Watcher."

"Watcher wanna-be." The redhead Slayer interfered, as she hit mockingly "X"'s head.

"Hey, it's not my fault that after the San Francisco Incident the old council will never let me be an official Watcher!" X smiled as he talked, something that Cordelia loved from the old Xander. This "X" had many of the mannerisms she remembered in her boyfriend, like the love for Twinkies. As soon as they had been safe, he had eaten at least three from his pack, engulfing them in one bite. "It was either being official or saving your life, anyway..."

Faith smiled, something that Cordelia hadn't seen too often in her reality's Faith, and started to explain how she and X had meet, at her old school at Boston, how he had helped her after she had been expelled, how he saved her from the vampire Kakistos after it had killed her first Watcher, leading them to wander from town to town killing vampires, while she trained him in fighting instead of the other way around.

As she talked it became obvious to Cordelia that they were a couple and she made her mind. Maybe the Faith she knew was a psychopath Slayer, but if she had a boyfriend like Xander, maybe she could control herself... Even if seeing Xander with Slut-O-Rama made her stomach be sick.

"I understand, Faith..." She began, clenching Anyanka's necklace strongly. "I hope you and Xand... X are very happy together, as it is so obvious that you two love each other."

Nothing happened.

"In Love?" Faith asked, and promptly began laughing, followed by "X"'s, "Sorry, Rookie, you got it all wrong..." she managed to stutter as soon as she controlled herself. "I told you before... X here is gay..." Cordelia simply gaped. Of all the differences between her Xander and this Xander, she would had never guessed that one.

X was keeping watch in the roof of the Bronze, when Angel found him. The vampire had been digesting Faith's shocking revelation, for what Cordelia had told him about Xander, Angel would have never believed that the mortal boy could be gay... or more like he would admit that he was gay... and now he only wanted to get to know X...

After Faith's revelation, Giles had managed to come out from his shock long enough to make some introductions. When he got to Angel, and said that he was a vampire, Faith had frowned, but Xander hadn't looked at all shocked or angry. He had simply nodded before asking for schedules of work and data about the vampires in town. Angel wanted to know why the boy hadn't flinched knowing what kind of monster Angel was... The Xander in Cordelia's reality hated vampires, and, although Cordelia had never come out and told him, it was pretty obvious that he hated Angel too.

Immersed in his thoughts, he didn't notice when X turned around, pointing his crossbow to him.

"You should consider doing noise, Dead-boy" the young Watcher told him, managing to get the vampire's attention. "If I was Faith, you would be ash by now. She hates being stalked."

"I... I was distracted... " the vampire managed to stutter. He was feeling quite nervous... It was silly of course, he was 240 years old or so, the boy was only 17. But after Cordelia's stories... Angel knew he had developed a crush with the incredible boy that she had known... So even if X was not Xander, until he could find any obvious difference between the two of them, he also had a crush with X. "What did you called me?"

"Dead-boy." X answered flippantly, lowering the crossbow. He sat in a makeshift bench, and took a twinky from his coat pocket. "Unless you refer blood-breath. " Angel blinked. Those were Xander's pet names for him, according to Cordelia. This was not really helpful. "Don't get me wrong... I know that you're supposed to be one of the good guys. But you're still a Vampire, and I... have some history with 'good vampires'".

"What do you mean?" Angel sat at X's side, fully aware that if he had been alive, his heart would be pounding with excitement. "I thought I was the only souled vampire..."

"As far as I know, you're the only... HE sure didn't had a soul. " X stopped long enough to engulf his twinkie before continuing. Then he pointed to his left arm, so Angel could see the stake. "I had this one made in our first days... to remind myself to ask first, stake later. He was my first lover."

Angel's eyes grew wide, as he digested the news. X was not only gay, he also had had a vampire lover... A full demon-vampire lover, not a souled one like Angel was. "What... happened to him?"

X smiled sadly, making Angel feel terrible about making him recall sad times. But before the vampire could take back the question, the boy continued. "An old girlfriend came to town... When we meet, Faith and I were in New Orleans, and his girlfriend had left him... For what I know, they had been together for centuries, but they had a lovers' fight... So there he was, heartbroken, drunk, almost begging Faith to stake him. She almost did too, but we were attacked by a lizard demon. And he helped us to escape. " Another pause, and X sad expression turned wishful. "I dunno why, but he decided to stick around... he was always some sort of rebel, and I guess that Slaying vampires was his way of reassuring that he was not like that bunch of brainless blood suckers. No offense..."

"None taken."

"So, anyway, one night we got an easy kill, and went to rest earlier... we began talking, and... you know how it is. He kissed me, I liked it... I really don't want to bore you with the details, but he was someone special to me. Even if he was a soulless killer, and I saw him do some unspeakable things... That 200 year old blonde British jerk was my first love..." X's voice faltered for a moment, but before Angel could do or say anything, the young Watcher continued. "We were together for about four months. Then _SHE_ came back, and he dumped me. End of the story."

"I'm sorry..." Angel said, at loss of what to say. For one blind moment he felt full of rage against the vampire who had broken X's heart... and he had a very sure idea of who had he been. "... I... wish I knew what to say... it's not usual that vampires are faithful... it's very rare that... we love someone..." Angel's voice broke when he realized that X was looking at him with a strange gleam in his eyes.

"Or lust someone?" the mortal man asked, as he leaned in closer, his lips half parted, making Angel gasp for some unneeded air.

Cordelia was getting ready for her turn at patrol, when she saw X and Angel talking. She had spent the best part of the afternoon thinking on whom would be the best man to be Xander's love. Oz was out of the question, given the fact that in her reality, he was completely devoted to Willow; Devon was too egocentric to note Xander's love; Giles... Giles was a certain possibility, but the man was too stiff for the boy... But as she was trying to think in someone else, someone who in her reality could reciprocate Xander's feelings, she had seen the vampire and X talking. She couldn't hear the words, but the emotion in the vampire's eyes was too clear...

If only the Angel she knew wasn't so devoted to Buffy...

Before she could reaffirm that thought, she saw as X leaned closer to the vampire, who suddenly seemed too nervous, too uncertain of his own body, and silently gasped as Faith's watcher kissed the souled immortal.

Angel was took by surprise when the inquisitive tongue of the mortal man caressed his lips. It was a warm sensation that left his cold flesh tingling, making him feel almost alive; a sensation he had not felt since Buffy died... and so much more powerful than his only, ill-fated kiss with the Slayer. He almost forgot to open his mouth, to allow that warm to penetrate his inside, but the tongue grew insistent, hungry. Before he knew it, Angel found himself in X's embrace, feeling the warmth coming from every inch of the mortal's body, feeling himself react to that warmth.

It was almost as Angel had imagined it, when his admiration from the Xander in Cordelia's stories had turned into the deeper emotion of love, the only difference being X's boldness and experience, compared to the image of Xander that Cordelia had given Angel, that Xander was a young confused man who only had initiated love contacts when in a danger situation; Angel had imagined a soft, plaintive, questioning kiss, so quick that Angel would have had the need of recapturing that mouth, to let the boy know that he too wanted it. X's kiss was strong, willing, but even so, there was a small trace of a question, a question that Angel answered with a pleasure moan.

Then X's hands were no longer in Angel's back, but in his chest, playing with the thorn shirt that the vampire was wearing, to caress the cold skin, the cold and hardening nipples... his mouth now was busy licking and biting the tender skin that joined the neck with the chest. Angel could feel his own arousal, as well as smell the boy's own, he could feel the boy's hardness in his tight... and when he felt the warm hand of the boy touching him through the fabric of his slacks, Angel felt as if the world had suddenly collapsed around them, that only X and him existed, and he was vaguely aware of some sort of moan coming out from his throat.

But then it stopped, as suddenly as it had begun in fact. Before Angel could even register the fact that the warmth emanating from X's body had left him, the young man was already on his foot, walking away.

"When you want to take this offer from _me_, you know where to find me, Dead-boy" X's say, as he walked away. "Just keep in mind that I'm not going to be some sort of replacement for this Xander guy. I'm not one to tell my sad story to every vampire that looks horny and lost... but I'm not going to be used ever again."

Angel's eyes grew wide with surprise and shame, he had called Xander's name while X was kissing and touching him... How could he had done such a stupid thing?

"I think he has spend way too much time with Faith..." Cordelia mused, as she sat at his side, touching his shoulder to offer support. "What happened there?"

"I called Xander's name... I think that offended him" Angel stated, coldly. "I... I couldn't help myself."

"It's o.k. I would have done the same thing... They're too alike..." Cordelia didn't seem to take any notice that Angel was not surprised to hear that she had seen everything. "You fell for him?"

"For both of them... For the Xander of your stories... for this X... I don't think I can separate both images from my mind." The vampire seemed too downhearted, and Cordelia let out a comprehensive sigh.

"Look... I know this won't be of much help, since in my reality you two aren't exactly best friends, but... Maybe I can help you to... seduce him?"

As soon as the words left Cordelia's mouth, a bright white light surrounded her and she found herself face to face with Anyanka, who looked incredibly angry.

"You stupid mortal!" The demon/girl shrieked "How can you offer to help a man in a love affair!? And after I gave you my favors!!" With her clawed hands, Anyanka tore the necklace from Cordelia's neck and hissed again, spitting in the girl's face. "So now I curse you! The one you love will fall completely in love with the one you promised to help... and when they kiss, they won't want to be in anyone else's arms. They'll belong to each other... And NOTHING shall come to prevent their happiness!!" Then, with a burst of flame, Anyanka disappeared, leaving Cordelia alone.

In the same spot where they had been when Anyanka grated her wish. At first, when the girl saw Xander, Buffy and Willow chatting as if nothing had happened, Cordelia felt his anger rise, but then she remembered her wish, the alternate reality it had created..... And fully understood Anyanka's curse.

"But two can play the game..." She whispered, and with a confident step, she walked towards the other Slayerettes.

"Cordy... I don't think I understand you..." Xander and Cordelia were in the Bronze, trying to find a good table for the whole Scooby Gang. They had been the first to arrive, which suited perfectly with Cordelia's plans. It gave her time to talk to Xander, and to ask for forgiveness in case that her actions didn't turned out exactly as planned. "First you don't even want to see me, then you suddenly decide I'm forgiven and organize this whole 'kiss-and-make-up' reunion inviting Oz, Willow, Buffy and _Angel_... Who by the way I don't recall as having relationship troubles... And now you tell me that you understand that you are not the one I'm looking for, and that you will be happy for me when I realize who she is? Did you hurt your head? You aren't usually this nice with anyone..."

"Call it a peace offer..." Cordelia said, and bit her lips. It was time to tell him the truth. "Xander... do you remember when every girl was in love with you?"

"That's one of the days of my life that no one will ever let me forget, Cordy... Why?" Xander finally found an empty table, and waved her to sit. "Don't tell me you asked Amy to make you nice and kind with everyone..."

Cordelia simply smiled, confusing him more. She had missed this gentle teasing when she had meet X. "Not exactly... Xander... would you hate me if I told you that because of me... someone put a love spell on you and Angel?"

For a moment, Xander could not even speak. It was as if he had fainted, but somehow forgotten to close his eyes. Then, just as Cordelia was beginning to fear that she had lost her friend, he spoke. "A spell as in making him fell in love with me?"

She nodded with her head and, aware that the others would be there soon, told him all about her wish, it's consequences and how terrible Sunnydale had turned out to be without him. "I didn't choose Angel as to be your partner but... he seemed so lost when the other you kissed him and left him... I just wanted to help. Anyanka did the rest... I'm sorry..."

"Don't say that." He cut her words short, but surprisingly, his tone was not accusatory, as she had imagined it. It was calmer. "Look... I don't know about demons or wishes... And I'm the one who should be apologizing, if I did something so bad that you used magic to erase me from your life..." He chuckled as he said it, so Cordelia couldn't help but follow his example. "... but the truth is that I have... wanted Angel since the day I meet him. Only that I never had the guts to admit it. It is easier to fake that I hate him."

"This could be Anyanka's magic, she..."

"She couldn't have made X kiss Angel, right?" Xander interrupted.

"No... I'm sure of that."

"Or make Angel love me because of what you told him."

"No, but..."

"But nothing, Cordy. You can't deny it. It's a love written on the stars." Xander smiled confidently, and Cordelia tried to answer with a smile of her own. She knew that Anyanka could alter history, but in that moment, it didn't seem important. Xander didn't think that it was just a spell induced crush, so it shouldn't be that. It would become true love. "Whose love? Did you two made up already?" Buffy's voice interrupted her thoughts, and for a brief second, Cordelia wondered what she was going to tell to the blonde girl when Angel dumped her. It was then when she saw the vampire standing behind the Slayer... And following his eyes, Cordelia knew it wasn't her the one he was seeing.

"We're o.k." Xander answered, not taking his eyes away from the vampire's. For a second, Cordelia thought that she was back in the other reality... The emotion in both males' eyes were the same.

"C'mon, Buffy. Let's go find something to drink..." Cordelia was out of her seat and at Buffy's side so quickly that the slayer didn't had time to object. Blinking an eye to Xander, Cordelia dragged Buffy away, wanting to give her friend and the vampire some privacy.

A few minutes later, the girls had found Oz and Willow, and together they were trying to get back to the table with six glasses in their hands, only to find the table empty. Xander and Angel were nowhere to be seen.

"I'll go check outside. " Cordelia offered, knowing fully well that the Slayer wouldn't take rejection well. "If you go, Buffy, you'll probably end up running into a crazed vampire."

"Thanks, person who looks incredibly alike Cordelia..." The Slayer answered, as puzzled by Cordelia's attitude as the rest of the slayerettes. However, the prom queen didn't take any notice.

She didn't had to walk too far away. Angel and Xander had barely left the club, and where locked in a passionate embrace, in the alley where Buffy had staked more than one vampire. Cordelia watched them as Angel made Xander back up until his back touched the cold wall, caressing his skin from under his shirt. She could see their hands under the cloth, as her former boyfriend tugged the vampire's leather jacket, trying to get closer to the cold body of his partner in crime.

Not finding any good reason to interrupt them, she headed back to the Bronze. If Buffy asked, she hadn't seen them, and probably the slayer would end up looking up for them in alleys and graveyards. And if her not so good friend couldn't cope with the fact that her boyfriend had left her for a better man... well... that would be her problem. She just wished that Anyanka's curse was powerful enough to allow Angel to be happy and retain his soul.

As this thought appeared in her mind, Cordelia smiled. Some wishes just had to become true.

The End