Willow and Xander have been best friends since they were kids, and she's also been in love with him about that long. But Willow's never told Xander how she feels about him. Okay, who couldn't relate to that on some level? Anyhoo, throughout season 1, Willow knew that Xander had a thing for Buffy, and too often found herself pretending to be Buffy so he could practice asking her out. Sure, it was bothersome, but Willow knew that he didn't stand a chance with Buffy, as she tells Buffy in The Pack. The Pack has Xander pushing Willow away, and it's in this episode that we discover he knows how Willow feels about him.
In When She Was Bad, Willow and Xander have spent a Buffy-free summer, and as they're walking home from getting ice cream, they have a moment when they're about to kiss. But a vampire's appearance seems to be why they pulled apart. It's hard to say if it looked like they were pulling away before the vampire came into view. And that's the only time we've ever seen any type of sparks between them.
Basically, Willow comes to the conclusion in Inca Mummy Girl that she can either wait for Xander to go out with every other girl before he notices her, or she can just move on. She doesn't really decide though.
When Willow gets the shock of her life in Innocence -- she sees Cordelia and Xander smooching -- she feels betrayed. This is when she starts to clue in to the fact that Oz is a guy who's interested in her. There's now a rift in Willow's and Xander's best-friendship, and only time will tell how it gets repaired. It might even be safe to say that she still carries a torch for Xander, in some sense...and it's true that Xander also has a reaction to her seeing Oz...
In BBB, Willow's also under the love spell cast by Amy Madison. Xander's trying to escape the throng of women after him, but discovers that Willow's in his bed, ready to seduce him! Later, Willow's wielding an axe and leading a mob of women who are after Xander. She tells him that she loves him and that she'd rather see him dead than with "that bitch" -- Cordy, of course. Yikes.
Seems as though the rift in Willow's and Xander's relationship has been repaired; in Go Fish, Willow's able to tease Xander about being with Cordelia; and in Becoming part II, Xander tells Willow that she's his best friend and that he loves her. Of course, Willow's in the hospital with head trauma while he's saying this, but she probably heard it, somehow. Things are decent between these two, and you never really know what can happen....unless, of course, Willow finds out that Xander didn't tell Buffy about the plan to try Angel's curse again...
Looks like the ice cream episode wasn't totally forgotten after all...In Homecoming, Xander and Willow are into old-friend mode, trying on clothes in preparation for the Homecoming Dance. Will helps Xander with his tie, Xander gives Will his opinion on her outfits, all the while digging for info. on how far she and Oz have gotten. Well..when Xander glimpses Willow in a black evening dress, something finally connects in his brain and there's some unresolved-I-want-my-best-friend thing going on. Fortunately it doesn't last long; when they're practicing their dancing, they both go for the kiss. I was kinda glad that Willow didn't pull away at first. So now she and Xander are sort of unsure about this..wondering what they should do. Neither wants to hurt Oz or Cordy..but it's apparent that there's something there. Xander even tells Willow it's like he's seeing her for the first time. Kinda gives me hope in general where the whole guy thing is concerned. heh.
Well, if they're trying to forget about the kiss, they're not doing a stellar job. In Band Candy, Xander and Willow are playing footsie during class, right behind Cordy and Buffy. You just know that this whole thing is going to blow up soon. And I, for one, am looking forward to that.
Okay, so more of the "forbidden wanting" thing...in Revelations, Xander tries to keep his hands off of Willow and backs off when she says that he should. So then of course, Willow grabs Xander and smooches him...while they're sitting in the stacks of the library!! Jeez! Have they no respect for the place where the books live? heh.
Well, the fire hasn't been extinguished..or has it? In Lovers Walk, Willow and Xander try to fight off their attraction, sort of. Well, Willow is all set to do an anti-lust spell, but then she and Xander get kidnapped by Spike, and...suffice it to say they get locked inside of a basement. Alone. They give in to the smooches, only to be spied by Cordy and Oz, who have come to rescue them! YIKES! Or, good?...
Okay, so Willow and Xander are back to hanging out with Buffy, just like the old days. But when Xander pats or goes to touch Willow's hand at the Bronze, she recoils. She tells him that that was okay when they were just friends, but now all her "stuff" is for Oz only. Xander's upset...but hey. Like they say, you can't go back to holding hands. Heh.
Update! Well, Xander's been feeling awkward and guilty about the Willow thing. It makes me want to create pages for Xander and Oz to chronicle their relationship. But...Anyway, in The Zeppo, Xander's trying to find his coolness factor and maintain his place in the Slayerettes. He's not so much involved with the gang in their quest to keep the Hellmouth from opening -- yeah, I know, this should go his character page..but..I'm doing this page now -- but he does see Willow when she's got her hands full of the Hellmouth problem. She's in a panic, getting supplies from the magic store, and when Xander asks her if he can help, she tells him no. A second later she comes back to tell Xander that she loves him. Sure, she thought the world was going to end. But still. Also, I'm wondering if there will be repercussions from her saying this. Sure, they're old friends, and they did the fluke thing, and the love may not be "romantic" love, but..who else wonders if Willow will freak if and when she finds out that Faith was Xander's "first"?
Update!! In Consequences, Willow learns that Xander has had his "first time" with none other than..Faith. She's upset by the news, and later in the library, once the gang learns that Faith is supposedly on her way to England to stand before the Watchers Council, she questions Buffy as to why they should bother with trying to save Faith. She alludes to the fact that yeah, she's not good about sharing people, and the scene cuts to Xander, and he looks like he feels pretty bad about what happened too. So, I don't know if this is going to be a big thing or not for these two. Hard to say. I'm not Nostradamus, after all. I do know that Willow went to cry in the bathroom, and then there's that pointed look thing in the library, though, but like I said, who knows.
