This is a rewrite of the beginning of "Fool for Love" where Buffy is fighting the vampire. Faith saves Buffy, not Riley because Faith is dating Buffy and she got worried.
Faith never turned into a Big Bad and never worked for Mayor Wilkins. There was no coma, no stabbing, or anything of the like. She and Buffy fell in love and moved in together into an off-campus apartment sometime near the end into Buffy's freshman year of college. Tara and Willow also fell in love around that time and move into a dorm together. Riley and the Initiative were involved in season 4, but Buffy and Riley weren't. Everything else is the same.
It was a relatively chilly and quiet November evening on Sunnydale. The cemeteries were even quiet for once aside from the quiet snapping of twigs and crunching of dry leaves under the feet of the Slayer as she patrolled the cemetery. There were no vampires, no demons, and no hellish beasts that were attracted to the Hellmouth wreaking havoc on the small California town. Even Buffy, herself, was shocked. Nonetheless, she continued to patrol that particular area because a quiet cemetery is not necessary an empty one. Just as that though crossed her mind, Buffy heard the sound of something tearing through dirt. She turned and crept toward the grave that was produced the sound.
As she neared the grave, a hand popped out, followed by another, and finally a head, which had a tastefully horrendous mullet. "Slayer," the new risen vampire growled.
"Vampire," Buffy said cheekily. The vampire lifted himself out of his grave and immediately began to attack Buffy. "What no recovery time?" The two exchanged blows and send each other flying over headstones on more than one occasion. Despite their even match, the vampire managed to get the upper hand on Buffy on more than one occasion, which only worries the stressed Slayer further. Finally, by accessing her full Slayer powers, Buffy punched the vampire several times, hard enough to send him flying over a nearby obelisk and she pulled out one of the two stakes in her pocket to kill the vampire. As she nears the seemingly unconscious vampire, he suddenly sprung up off of the ground and sent her flying over a tombstone with a single back-handed punch. Buffy scrambled to pick up the stake that she dropped as she flew through the air. As the vampire approaches, Buffy stood and advanced to stake him, when the vampire grabbed her wrist, twisted her hand around, and staked Buffy through the right side of her stomach.
Buffy inhaled sharply as the stake punched through her skin and embedded itself in her abdomen, thanks largely in part to a very lucky and strong vampire. Her hands flew to her wound and she brought up one of her hands to see the damage, only to find that the palm of her hand was totally covered in bright crimson blood. She kept one hand on her wound as she reached for the second stake in her pocket and plunged it into the vampire that was attempting to sneak up on her for a second time.
With the vampire dusted, Buffy gingerly unwrapped the scarf around her neck and wrapped it around the stake in her stomach and then around her waist, securing it with a sloppy one-handed knot. She decided to leave the stake in so that she could make it home without too much bleeding. Buffy slowly began to walk out of the cemetery, each step sending waves of pain up her side. She reached a mausoleum and leaned against it to try to get some relief as she began to feel quite unsteady. In a few seconds, the world started to become cloudy and before she knew it, Buffy's world turned black and she passed out. Fortunately for Buffy, when she passed out, she did not fall forward, driving the stake in even further, but backward, hitting the side of her head on the side of the mausoleum on her way down.
Meanwhile on the other side of town…
"It's 5 am. She left 5 hours ago." Faith was pacing back and forth, occasionally glancing at the clock in her new apartment, well actually, her and Buffy's new apartment. Faith began to grow very concerned as she always is when Buffy is out.
Faith sighed and mumbled, "She shouldn't be gone this long. I should go find her." Faith walked over to the closet and pulled out her lucky jacket, a well-worn brown leather one. She stuffed a stake and a bottle of holy water from the weapons chest into her pockets, grabbed her keys, and left the apartment. Faith drove over to the cemetery that she knows Buffy usually patrols in and walked in slowly and quietly. The sun was just beginning to rise and its beautiful, colorful rays were illuminating the entire cemetery, but nonetheless, Faith was prepared for some cocky vampire, who was willing to do anything to kill a slayer.
Faith decided to do a 360° and began to sweep the cemetery with her eyes. She turned about half way around when she noticed a pair of familiar-looking shoes sticking out from behind a mausoleum. Faith ran over to the pair of shoes and yelled "Buffy!" as she neared the feet. Her cry was answered with a small sound that sounded like a mix between a groan and a whimper and would have been impossible to hear had it not been for her slayer hearing. She dropped down to her knees when reached Buffy's unconscious form, partially out of concern and partially out of the shock to see the state that Buffy was in. Buffy not only had a stake in her stomach, but she also had cuts on her cheek and forehead, a swollen eye, and a bruise on her jaw.
Faith reached over to touch Buffy's face and her eyes opened just a little, enough for Faith to see them moving slightly. Buffy's eyes quickly found Faith's and she said "Faith…" in a very pained and quiet voice.
Faith's eyes filled with tears and she said, "Buffy, I'm here." Buffy looked into Faith's eyes for a moment and they closed as Buffy once again drifted into the darkness. Scared, Faith shakily reached over to check Buffy's pulse, worried about what she would find, or rather not find. She sighed with relief when she finds a pulse, albeit a weak one. Faith put Buffy's head in the crook of her elbow and said, "I'm going to get you out of here."
Faith gingerly picked up the injured blonde, just like a bloody bride and carried her to the curb, where Faith's convertible was parked. Faith opened the door and leaned inside the car to put Buffy down in the back seat. She grabbed a blanket and draped it over Buffy's pale body and made sure to lay it in such a way that the stake was not going to be disturbed. Faith drove carefully back to their apartment on the other side of Sunnydale and pulled into a parking spot on the street. She pulled the key out of the ignition and went around back to get Buffy out. Faith could feel Buffy shivering as she prepared to lift her out of the car, so she wrapped Buffy in the blanket she laying under during the car ride. Somehow, Faith got the two of them back into the apartment without any incident or anyone noticing the blood covered blonde in Faith's arms.
Faith walked into her and Buffy's home and laid Buffy down on the bed in their bedroom. Faith kneeled down next to Buffy and lovingly brushed a stray strand of hair out of the blonde's face. "Oh, Buffy. How did this happen to you?" Faith got up off of her knees and went into the bathroom to get first aid supplies. Faith returned with a bowl of water, some towels, gauze, and other assorted supplies. Faith stared at the stake for a moment and decided to wait to pull it out, mainly out of fear.
Faith placed the bowl of water on the nightstand near Buffy's head and dipped a towel in it. Faith began to carefully clean the cuts Buffy's face. The gash on her forehead was not too deep, but still coated the upper part of Buffy's face with blood and the scratches on her cheek covered the left side of Buffy's face with blood, along with her neck and the collar of her sweater. Faith hated this part of being a slayer. The wounds. The cleanup. All the blood on the ones you love.
Faith continued to clean Buffy's face until all of the blood was gone and the water in the bowl had turned an ugly rusty color. Faith used a small square of gauze to cover the gash on Buffy's forehead and sighed as she looked at all the injuries on Buffy's small body. Faith stood and changed the water in the little bowl by Buffy's bedside, so she could clean Buffy's cheek. Faith returned quite quickly and gently began to clean the blood off of Buffy's neck, and then her pale cheek. Once she was done, Faith took out the first aid kit that the two Slayers kept underneath the bed and began thumbing through it. Faith stopped when she saw a small box that contained butterfly closures. She carefully peeled off the backing and placed them on Buffy's face, until she was satisfied with the coverage. Now with no other wounds to treat, Faith turned her attention to the stake still in Buffy's abdomen.
Faith pulled out a pair of scissors and cut up Buffy's sweater, right up the middle, then cut to expose the stake and the wound it caused. Faith gently lifted Buffy's torso and removed the sweater from underneath Buffy. She draped a towel over Buffy's lap and placed several pieces of gauze and a roll of medical tape on it. Faith also moved the bowl of water closer to Buffy's stomach. Faith placed her hand on Buffy's stomach near the stake and the other on the stake itself. Faith used her other hand to press down on Buffy's stomach as she got a firm grasp on it and pulled. As Faith removed the stake from Buffy, it made a dreadful sucking sound and Buffy's beaten form arched up slightly as it came out.
Faith put the stake down on the towel and picked up some gauze, which she used to wash off the blood on Buffy's side. She was very careful to avoid the wound on Buffy's side as she worked her way up, making sure the blood was all gone. Faith opened the packaging for a large piece of gauze and gently placed on top of the wound, covering it. Faith secured it with several pieces of medical tape and sighed. She stood up and began to clean up the evidence of Buffy's injuries, the bloody gauze, the rust-colored water, and the red-stained towel on Buffy's lap. Faith also discarded Buffy's now-ruined sweater and scarf into the trashcan in their bathroom, along with all of the other bloodied items. "I really liked that sweater…" lamented Faith.
Faith returned to Buffy's side and checked on the gauze pad on Buffy's stomach to make sure that it was not too blood-soaked. Satisfied that there wasn't too much blood, Faith covered Buffy's now bare torso with a blanket to keep her warm. She then began rummaging around for Buffy's yummy sushi pajamas, which she knew always made Buffy feel a little bit better.
After finally finding the colorful pajamas, Faith brought them over to the bed and removed the blanket covering Buffy. Faith carefully undid Buffy's belt and unbutton her jeans, allowing her to remove them and slide the pajama bottom onto Buffy in their place. Faith lifted Buffy's upper body and leaned Buffy against her own shoulder as she slid Buffy's arms into the sleeves of the pajama shirt. She laid Buffy back down and button the shirt from the collar down to about the bottom of Buffy's ribcage, leaving the area with the stab wound uncovered and giving Faith easy access if she needed to change the gauze. Faith took Buffy's dirt and blood caked jeans and tossed them in the dirty laundry, after she once more covered Buffy with a throw blanket, this time the nice thick one from the living room couch. Faith lay down next to Buffy as the colorful rays of the sunrise were replaced by the less spectacular rays of early morning. She relaxed her own tired body and closed her eyes, knowing that the only thing she could do is wait and that she was of no use to Buffy in the sleep-deprived state she was in. So Faith lay down in her side, protectively threw one of her arms over Buffy, and allowed the sleep, which had previously eluded her so, to claim her.
Faith woke up about an hour later because she heard something that sounded like a moan. Faith opened her eyes and turned over onto her back. She sat up and noticed that Buffy was moving around a bit, almost like she was waking up. Faith put her hand on Buffy's cheek and stroked with her thumb, being extremely gentle to avoid hurting her any more than she already was. "Buffy. Buffy, please wake up. I know you can do it. Please wake up," Faith practically begged. A moment later, she heard a groan and Buffy's head turned towards Faith. Buffy opened her eyes a little and looked directly at Faith. Faith smiled and tears began forming in the corners of her eyes as she said, "You're awake. How are you feeling?"
Buffy shifted a little from her present position and swallowed before answering. "Like I've been staked," she said with traces of a laugh in her quiet voice. She reached up and wiped away the tears on Faith's cheek with her hand. "Faith, honey. Please don't cry. I'll be okay," she said as she pulled herself into a seated position. Buffy let out a loud groan as she eased her battered self back onto the pillows. Faith smiled as she looked at Buffy and nodded. However, Faith's smile was short-lived as she practically threw her arms around Buffy and rested her head on Buffy's shoulder. Buffy was very confused by Faith's actions until she felt the fabric of her pajamas turn wet and saw Faith's body shudder as she sobbed. She stroked Faith's hair with one hand and held her with the other as Faith continued to cry.
"I was so scared," Faith managed to say through her sobs.
"I know. I'm sorry," Buffy shushed as she continued to hold Faith's shaking body. After about five minutes, Faith finally calmed down and pulled away from Buffy. She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, almost as though she was embarrassed to showing her emotions. After taking a deep breath, Faith pulled down the blanket covering Buffy and pushed her top to the side, so Buffy's wound would become exposed. Faith stared intently at the gauze as it slowly turned a darker shade of red with each passing moment.
"I should change your gauze," Faith said as Buffy nodded. Faith climbed off the bed and crossed the room to get to the pile of gauze packages she left on a dresser. She grabbed a package and the roll of medical tape before she returned to kneel by Buffy's bedside. "I'm going to need you to slide back down again. It'll make it easier to properly cover the wound and you won't have to see it," Faith instructed. Buffy did as she was told and slid down the pillows into a semi-laying position. She propped her head up on the pillows because she could not help but be curious to see her wound. Faith noticed that Buffy was closely watching her and the wound on her stomach. "Ready?" Faith asked in a cautious tone. Buffy nodded and Faith peeled back the tape. Once it was all off, Faith lifted the gauze, revealing the wound, and immediately turned her attention to Buffy. Buffy was slight pale, but was still conscious, so Faith continued dressing the wound. She opened a new gauze pad and taped it to Buffy's stomach. Once she finished, Faith threw out all of the trash and Buffy settled into a comfortable position. Faith soon returned back to their bed and Buffy cuddled up to Faith, who wrapped her arms around the recovering blonde. Faith kissed the top of Buffy's head and both of them drifted off into a peaceful sleep.