Willow is one of the ones I'd like to call multi-shipper or universal shipper. She's like one of those keys that opens every lock. I have yet to see a wrong combination with her. At least for me she fits with so many people.

Willow/Xander - Willow crushes on him the first moment we see her. They've grown up together and have that girl/boy next door thing going for them, only nothing romanticly happens. Or close to nothing. Xander doesn't see her like that. He's far too busy lurking after Buffy who again doesn't want him. And in the beginning Willow's his spare. After he gest blown off by Buffy when he asks her to a dance, he immediatly asks Willow. She's the back-up. That's what I don't like. In the beginning it's on Xanders terms, they are close to almost so many times, but something cuts them off and the one steering the course is the Xand-man. I think it's finally when Xander is the one blown off, or sort off in Becoming when he tells the uncontious Willow that he loves her and she wakes up crying for Oz. It makes Xander realize that he can't think that he can have Willow only if he wants it. She has a will of her own.

My favourite part must be ranting about what goes against the pairings. And one of them is the whole Willow and Xander cheating on their significant others. Some people might think that it's not cheating unless they go all the way, but I think it is. Sure we see examples of Willow going out of controle later on, but back there Willow is the steady one. She wouldn't intentionally hurt Oz. So even though she's crushed on Xander since she was little one would think she had the self controle and realisation to see that her having a fling with Xander is no good idea.

Willow/Oz - I think everyone must admitt that this is one of the cutest combinations made on the show. The way they have their own way os speaking about monkey crackers, pez figures, wolfie and all that. Oz genuinly loves her and she loves him. True love is what it is. Oz is aware of Willows crush on Xander, but at the same time he doesn't go doormat. He's willing to wait until she's ready to give him full attention and not have Xander in the back of her head. And he does.

What really speak against them for most people is the whole deal with Veruca. (One of my best friends is a W/O shipper and snaps if someone as much as mention the V-word) I get Oz's attraction to her because it lies in his inner wolf, but that he doesn't turn Veruca in when he finds out she doesn't want to protect the people that she endangers by going free, that I feel is really against his character. He's the quiet, steady, but also genuine person. The real Oz would find a way to explain everything to Willow and he would turn in Veruca at once. He would rather protect the innosent people than the girl who doesn't mind her inner beast hurting them. And Oz's exit shouldn't have happened, at least not that way.

Willow/Tara - This pairing shows a whole other cute-ness. First they are firends and become more than that, from the moment they start hanging out there's an attraction. Tara is like Willow how she was before and together they both open more up. they have a genuine true love.

What blew the cracks with them was Willows over-using of magic. Her addiction to it became more and more obvious. Tara tried her best to keep Willow grounded, keep her safe from the immense powers that threatened to take controle of her. In my point of view Tara did all she could, she made all the right choices, she gave Willow a chance to learn to controle her magic-useage and when it didn't work, she saw no other choice than to leave. First it seem to have a bit of destructive effect, but once Willow realized that to get Tara back was to get real and try to quit, she wqas given a second chance. In my opinion if Tara hadn't been killed, they would still be together and Willow would learn to controle her magic.

Willow/Spike - Yes I'm throwing in an unconventional option as well. Several of my friends are big W/S shippers. And the possibility isn't bad, not in my point of view. We can see in several episodes that Spike does have a soft spot for the red-head, like how he tries cheering her up when Oz leaves, when he's drunk and miserable he leanes on her shoulder for comfort. It could have been if it hadn't been for Willow/Tara and Spike/Buffy in the show, then maybe they would have concidered this pairing.

What goes against them? The fact that it never happened. Spike would treat Willow in the good ways he treated Buffy, but he wouldn't have the now and then urge to kill her, as his "role" as a vampire doesn't affect a witch. And Willow wouldn't be bitchy to him, she would be sweet. I think they would have made a great match.

Willow/Kennedy - I have nothing against Willow/Kennedy, in fact I like them a lot together, but the reason I don't believe it to be true love is... I'm not completely sure, but I think it has something to do with Kennedy's manipulatism and how she not always seem to be so sure of Willow. I believe them to be a for now thing, a nice relationship and I do believe them to love each other to a degree, but not in the forever kind of way. There are nice aspects and not so nice aspects. Had Tara still been alive at the point Kennedy was introduced to the show I don't think Willow and Kennedy would even have happened.

Fred/Willow - When Willow came to re-ensoul Angel, it was clearly that Fred had some sort of interesst in this girl and the more the episode develope it was easy for me to see that Fred at least had a crush on her. To me I find them to be very interessting, I can completely imagine a relationship between them. They have a lot in common, so Fred/Willow is for me the girl on girl version of Fred/Wesley.

Conlution

In the end I would say that I have no real preferance in Willow-pairings because she goes so well with a whole lot of people. I take it phase by phase so to speak. It's sad when it ends, but then it also means that she will find someone else that she also fits so well with.