Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an absolutely legendary and iconic television show that is beloved for many different reasons. But one of the most memorable and emotionally touching elements of the series has always been the relationships that have evolved and devolved between all of the characters. Buffy places a lot of narrative and emotional value on every kind of relationship, but the show's romances are so wonderful that, even years later, their ships are still sailing strong.
However, there are plenty of potential relationships in the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer that tragically never got their moment in the sun. But thankfully when it comes to all of those ships that never got their moment to shine in canon, there is still fan-fiction. Every character combo under the sun has some fan-fiction dedicated to it, but here are ten Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan-fiction relationships that we wish were real.
Joyce & Giles
Okay, this may technically be a relationship that had its moment in actual Buffy the Vampire Slayer canon, but one random hookup under the influence of magic doesn't really count. Joyce and Giles should have made a go at a real relationship, and not just because they're single and around the same age.
Joyce is literally Buffy's mom, and Giles is figuratively Buffy's dad, and doesn't everyone in their heart of hearts want mom and dad to be together? Obviously Joyce and Rupert's intimate chemistry was off the charts fantastic, and they seem to have a lot in common, so it's mystifying that they never gave things a real go.
Anya & Riley
No offense to Riley Finn, but when it comes to personal depth, he's a bit of a puddle. Yes, he fights demons and maintains a secret life for quite a while, but he's not a very complex dude. He was indisputably Buffy's least favored boyfriend, but that is most likely because he and Buffy just seemed tragically mismatched.
Anya, however, seems like she would be a great match for Riley. Anya is a gleefully surface level girl who obviously has a lot of issues with men, but being with someone who is as squeaky clean and simple as Riley probably would have done her a lot of good.
Cordelia & Angel
Cordelia Chase and Angel eventually grew into their own star-crossed lovers relationship on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spinoff, Angel. However the chemistry between them had to have existed before. After all, Cordelia did seem to have a love, or at least lust, at first sight reaction to him. And Cordy and Angel obviously had a lot to give to each other in a relationship.
Cordelia's upfront and seemingly shallow nature could have given Angel the ability to live in the moment, and Angel could have helped Cordy explore all of the depth that she already had, but never really delved into until later in life.
Spike & Faith
It's actually a little astounding that Spike and Faith never even hooked up because they seem to be such an obvious Bizarro version of Buffy and Angel. Spike is such a gleefully violent hooligan, and Faith loves to tap into the darker and more instinct driven sides of a Slayer's nature, so together they could have been an unstoppable force.
Watching Spike develop into a sincerely good person was wonderful. Yet when he was still in his more rampage driven stage of life, it would have been fantastic to see him get wild with a girl who was his true match and equal.
Cordelia & Buffy
Considering how much homoerotic subtext there was throughout the course of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it's pretty surprising that there was only one gay relationship between the plethora of main female characters in the entire show, even when you take into consideration that LGBTQ+ relationships were extremely rare on TV at the time.
But there was always a bit of a love-hate relationship between Buffy Summers and Cordelia Chase, and it would have been interesting to see that interplay explored further in an actual significant romance. That's a lot of alpha female in one relationship, but it would have been amazing to see the sparks that fly because of it.
Spike & Andrew
Andrew Wells seemed to have a barely contained crush on Spike throughout his tenure on Buffy, and it's canon fact that Spike has hooked up with other men in the past (even if he and Angel want to forget it). So, there is really no excuse or explanation for why Andrew and Spike's romantic relationship never found its legs.
Andrew is the ultimate fanboy, and Spike loves being fawned over and adored. Thus, they could have made a fantastic couple, even if it was doomed to eventually fail. Spike may want to believe that he's too cool for someone like Andrew, but we all know he's not.
Dark Willow & Faith
For the vast majority of her existence, Willow seems like the fluffy bunny of the entire Scooby Gang, and up until she literally started committing murder it was pretty hard to imagine her hurting even a fly. But hurt people she did, and honestly if Willow was going to go evil then she may as well go big or go home.
Faith's redemption arc was a good one, but once she went bad, she could never fully go back, and it would have been interesting to see two of the most powerful women on the planet team up and tear things apart.
Xander & Buffy
It's hard to know how to feel about a potential romance between Buffy Summers and Xander Harris, because in retrospect Xander was such an obvious "nice guy" that it's hard to even want him to be Buffy's friend.
However, their coupling is undeniably a popular subject of Buffy fan-fiction, and to his credit, Xander did evolve as a person as he got older like Buffy did. He doesn't deserve to be written off for life just because he was kind of a needy teenager, and it would be fantastic to see a relationship that is built on such a solid friendship instead of Buffy's typical end-of-the-world type love situations.
Willow & Spike
It's safe to say that any relationship between Spike and Willow Rosenberg isn't meant to last, but good lord would it be fun for however long it did last. Spike has been fairly open about his attraction towards Willow despite her not being his usual type, and it would do Willow a lot of good to get out of her comfort zone and test the waters with a genuine bad boy.
Every time Willow and Spike interact, it's a lot of fun to watch. So, if their relationship had developed into something beyond casual acquaintances then it would have been a delight to see.
Willow & Wesley
Willow Rosenberg seems to be one of the most shipped and shippable characters in the entire Buffyverse, but the relationship that we would all die to see in Buffy canon has got to be a relationship between Willow and Wesley Wyndam-Pryce.
Obviously they have the connection of being literal nerd geniuses, but what makes the lack of their relationship in the show so painful is that the actors who play the characters, Alyson Hannigan and Alexis Denisof, are literally married in real life. It seems almost criminal that they both spent years in the Buffyverse with their characters barely crossing paths.