Kagama-the Literaturevixen asked A.K. Caggiano:

Was there a point in time where you had plans to pair Celeste with Xander ?Because the way he was talking about her and her cupcakes was very cute! So I thought that was a foreshadowing about them getting together. Just curious :)

This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)[The following contains spoilers for the premise of Bound to Fall and Bound and Tide, but nothing too egregious--just be forewarned!

So, there is an alternate universe in my head where Xander and Celeste do end up together!

If you've read Bound to Fall, Celeste's story, you know that when she first arrives at the Temple of Valcord in Briarwyke, she has the brief thought that the letter from her sister could be a trick by someone else to lure her there and trap her. That doesn't turn out to be the case, BUT in this alternate universe, that's exactly what it is: a trap laid by Xander because the events in V&V lead to Xander losing control over his powers, and who better to help him get them back than a nox-touched?

Xander would know exactly how to pull Celeste's strings to get her to Briarwyke and was privy to exactly what happened there with Delphine, so he would think it a foolproof plan. He'd be surprised then to find out how very manipulatable he was by a nox-touched when he didn't have full control over his noxscura. But because Celeste is sweet and kind, she wouldn't do anything too horrible to him and would just help him instead. Her kindness would finally break him down, and potentially they would fall in love.

The reason I didn't choose to take their stories in this direction is simply because Celeste deserves better haha. I didn't think it was fair to pair her up with another sadistic jerk, and she didn't really have it in her to knock Xander down to where he needed to be to grow into a better person. Reeve, on the other hand, is her perfect match--he's loyal, loving, supportive, empathetic, and exactly her type--and once you meet her, hopefully you'll think Evangeline is Xander's match too! (Though, another mini spoiler, in this alternate universe, Reeve and Evangeline end up together because they're both from Bendcrest!)

But yes, you definitely read right that Xander spoke very wistfully of Celeste because he did have a little crush on her, especially because she got away and he often wants what he can't have :) (hide spoiler)]

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