Quote:
Originally posted by Carolina
Anyhoo, I just loved them because they were the total opposite of B/A. Neither one of them went for all that dramatic crap and just seemed to enjoy one another. Another long post, I know, but I could muse on my X/C love all day long.
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You know, I've always had a very soft spot for Xander/Cordy. I think you explained why... Theirs was a normal, emotional and hormone driven high school relationship that didn't involve bloodsucking and slaying powers at the core, and it certainly was not tinged with pedophilia.
I confess I really enjoyed C/A, too, so perhaps I was simply rooting for all Cordelia's relationships.
But Xander... he was the wiseass, the self-deprecating realist of the Scoobies, who often said things Cordy might, but with a touch less acid. He was the goofball with whom many high school guys identified. And to romance someone like Cordelia Chase, it was just every guy's dream.
That Xander was an idiot who messed it up cannot be questioned. Yet can that be as much of an obstacle to rebuilding a better, closer relationship, than all the vampire/slayer mistrust central to the "eternal one true pairing" ME is forcing us to gag on? How often have we known of (or been involved in) high school (or adult) relationships full of initial misunderstandings and hurt that later became closer?
These two were presented as surprisingly shy people: we saw Xander as insecure, but only over time could we realize that Cordelia was, at her core, very guarded. Cordy created a high school persona that was able to deal with all the worries and insecurities she shared with every other student. But these defense mechanisms, Xander's cynical humor and Cordelia's aloof bitchiness, kept the two of them from letting themselves know how much they really cared for the other.
Both were very afraid of getting hurt, by making themselves too vulnerable.
Cordy may have been the first to realize and admit her feelings for Xander. Yet she never let him know. And Xander, after the Willow confusion, and after he saw just how hurtful his behavior was, finally began to realize how important Cordelia was. I don't think he ever gave up trying to win her back.
He remained very protective of Cordelia throughout high school. He kept her secret, knowing how embarassed she was at her family's fall from grace. His purchase of the prom dress for her was thoughtful and sweet.
He grew up. He really understood that his actions have consequences, often hurtful, to others.
And he understood just how much he did NOT want to bring pain to Cordelia.
I will always keep in my mind the thought that Xander could not marry Anya because he was meant for someone else. And that someone was not Buffy.