Title: If at First you don't succeed…
Summary: What if the First wasn't gone and instead gained the ability to time-travel? Rather than going back herself, she sends our remaining fighters back to the beginning in 'Welcome to the Hellmouth'. As they're trying to find a way home, the First is building an army to protect herself for when they succeed. Starts in 'Chosen', set post-'Not Fade Away'. Non-comic compliant.
Disclaimer: I own nothing! Except Elias.
A/N: This is my FIRST (no pun intended lol) venture into the Whedon-verse! So, if the characters seem OOC, I apologize now. If you check my profile, I've only written for Gilmore Girls… A very different universe. So please be kind and patient!
Questions, plot holes, or anything really, feel free to Review or PM me!
This fic is a Response to a '100 Chapters with a 100 Chapter Sequel' Prompt for daita. I'll post the prompt at the end of the last chapter.
The chapters themselves had to be very short so I'll be posting like the 1st 5 chapters on page 1. It'll make more sense as you read. I swear, it's necessary!
Chapter 1
May 20th, 2003. Solvang, California.
The First blinked her eyes open, it took less effort than expected. After all, she hadn't had a solid body of her own in a millennia. She sat up slowly as she cast her gaze around the unfamiliar room.
"Where am I?" She asked aloud.
"An hour's drive away from The Hellmouth, your grace," Elias, an old friend whose expertise lies with magic, answered. She rolled her eyes but was pleased inside. They insisted on calling her that and treating her as their queen. It felt good to finally have some of the respect she deserves. "It's good that we set up the spell here. Sunnydale is now a crater thanks to the Slayer and her friends."
"What of the Slayer?"
"She escaped. Whispers tell me she's headed to another Hellmouth on the other side of the country. She believes she won."
Her lips curled into a smile. She stood and strode over to an elegant mirror hung on the wall. She tilted her head as she looked into blue eyes she had seen before but never noticed. She remembered watching as this child drank the poison Elias had forced down her throat. She ran her hand through blonde hair, feeling the slight tug on her scalp. She looked up at Elias' reflection. "Were you correct in this body's abilities?"
"I am certain of the magic in her blood. However, there is a slight chance that she took it with her death. Might I suggest a test run, if you will?"
She nodded in agreement. This particular ability wasn't essential to her eventual victory but it would be quite convenient in her current plan. This was her Plan B. See, that's the problem with villains - their arrogance. Sure she'll admit it, she underestimated the Slayer, but she also hadn't survived this long by being dumb. Most villains assume they won't be defeated and then are surprised when they are. Not her, she made a backup plan just in case.
She squeezed her eyes shut, clenched her fists and concentrated. A beat of silence. Nothing was happening. She grunted in frustration.
"Your grace, try to relax and feel the magic," Elias suggested.
She sucked in a breath, relaxing her stance as she released the air in her lungs through her nose. She felt like she was floating. She reached out into her new body's memories, searching for a simple one. Once she found it, she grasped onto it and felt herself shifting in time. She opened her eyes to find herself kneeling beneath a willow tree.
She heard someone yelling for her. "June! Where are you?" Not wanting to be found, she frantically looked around for something sharp - a broken glass bottle, that would do. She sliced into the top of her forearm, just enough to draw blood. She hissed in pain and then felt herself being jerked back to the present.
"Are you alright, your grace? Did it work?" Elias questioned immediately.
"I'm fine. Let's see," she said before pulling her sleeve up and saw the newly-formed scar on her arm. The look she gave him was unsettling to see on such a small child, a look of pure malicious happiness. "We have work to do."
Chapter 2
May 20th, 2004. Cleveland, Ohio.
Buffy nursed a cup of tea as she stared out of her apartment window at the sun rising. Usually she wasn't the self-reflective type, always having too much energy or being too busy to sit still. There wasn't much to do at the moment. Ever since Willow had done the spell to activate all the potential Slayers, she had taken a backseat to the actual fighting. It felt weird to be a Mentor rather than a student. She'd had practice back in Sunnydale but was still the Chosen One. Now she had the chance to have a semblance of a normal life. And it bored the shit out of her.
'Spike would get a kick out of this' She thought with a chuckle. Then she frowned.
She caught word of the near-apocalypse in L.A. She hasn't heard anything yet but she sent Lola, a fellow Slayer, to find out what happened. She remembered when Andrew told her that Spike was alive…
Chapter 3
May 6th, 2004. Rome, Italy.
Buffy and Dawn carried a drunk Andrew in the door and gently placed him on the couch. Under normal circumstances Buffy would be furious at him but this was a special case, he'd just found out the girl he was seeing was evil - poor guy, but it was like a rite of passage for a Scooby.
"I'll get him some water." Dawn volunteered and left the room.
Buffy sat down in the loveseat across from him. She glanced around the apartment she was borrowing from Paolo, or The Immortal as he preferred to be called - a moniker she found ridiculous and refused to ever say, as if seeing it for the first time. It was fancy in an old-school elegant way, rather than the Beverly Hills she'd been around in her younger years. It still amazed her even after a month of this vacation. She admittedly was going to miss it a bit when they returned to Cleveland.
"...and kicked his ass like Spike." She zoned back in to Andrew but missed most of what he'd said.
Dawn walked back in and set the glass down on the coffee table in front of Andrew. "We miss him, too," Dawn said with a sad smile as she sat next to Buffy.
"But Spike's alive!" Andrew announced it like they should already know that. Buffy and Dawn glanced at each other in amused confusion.
"Andrew, are you forgetting a certain event where Spike saved the world and closed a Hellmouth?" Dawn asked with a smirk.
"Of course not! His great sacrifice will never be forgotten! But he's back. He's in L.A. with Angel. Well, last I saw him. Which was here yesterday. They came to save you from The Immortal," Andrew paused to chuckle. "And something else but I don't remember what. But before that, when I was fetching Dana, that's when I found out he'd survived! I couldn't believe it! It was the best day of my life! I was going to tell you but Giles forced me not to. And Spike asked me to keep quiet. He saw that you had moved on and wanted you to be happy. Cat's outta the bag. Oops." Andrew finished his rant with a girlish giggle.
Buffy and Dawn sat there with identical shocked expressions. "There's a lot to unpack there. But what do you mean Giles told you not to? How did he know?" Buffy asked.
"Angel called him before they got on the plane. Once Giles found out that both vampires were coming and that I already knew about Spike, he warned me not to say anything. Giles can be scary sometimes."
Thinking of the times he let his inner-Ripper surface, Buffy silently agreed and understood why Andrew had kept his mouth shut.
Chapter 4
May 20th, 2004. Cleveland, Ohio.
…She had been a mess of emotions. Buffy had ended their vacation early and promptly broke it off with Paolo. He'd been a nice distraction from her grief but now that she knew Spike was alive, she felt guilty for using him. Paolo hadn't been too heartbroken, possibly the only man she'd ever dated who hadn't fallen in love with her. Dawn was fine with following Buffy's lead.
She was still angry with Giles for lying to her, for making Andrew lie, and then having the audacity to defend his actions when she confronted him about it. They haven't spoken since.
Andrew stayed in Europe, the atmosphere seemed to agree with him. Dawn was the only one at her side anymore. Willow was traveling around the world, helping young witches hone their skills. She had explained that it was her way of atoning for her past actions, her past arrogance. Xander left to find himself, a few months after they left Sunnydale. He felt a bit lost after it all. Faith was surprisingly settling down well with Robin, who had no issue keeping up with her.
A lot had changed in a year. She didn't feel like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders anymore. But that also meant she had plenty of time to miss Spike. She had picked up the phone just to slam it back down countless times now. She wanted to hear his voice, wanted to fly over there and kick his ass for not calling her. She should've heard it from him! But once they got back on American soil, doubt set it. Why didn't he want her to know he was alive? Didn't he love her anymore? The thoughts circled in her head until she convinced herself that Spike must not want her anymore. If his feelings had changed, hers certainly hadn't. She was worried and that's why she had sent Lola.
She also made a promise to herself. If Spike had survived, she'd confront him and then convince him to at least be her friend so she had him back in her life in some way. If he died for good this time, she would stop faking it and try tom ove on without him for real.
Chapter 5
May 20th, 2004. Cleveland, Ohio.
The sun had just gone down when Buffy emerged from her apartment to patrol. She hit a different cemetery every night. She didn't have to do this anymore but it was a habit she couldn't break. As she opened the gate to this one tonight, she was slightly surprised to find a lone little girl placing flowers in front of a headstone. Buffy glanced around for her parents but didn't see anyone else around.
She slowly approached the child so she didn't spook her. "Are you alright?" Buffy asked her gently.
The girl looked up at her and smiled like Buffy had just saved her life. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you!"
Buffy raised her eyebrows in shock, "oh? Were you looking for me? What's your name sweetie?"
"I've been looking for you for a while. My name's June."
Buffy knelt down to June's level, "are you here by herself?" Buffy didn't notice the two men in hooded robes coming up behind her.
June giggled. "No, silly!" The two men grabbed Buffy's arms. As she struggled against their hold, she glanced back down at June in bewilderment.
"Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit!" June reassured her before signaling the men to bring Buffy down to her. They forced her to her knees. The hood fell down from the man on her right, Buffy couldn't believe her eyes. It was a Bringer! But- Buffy looked back at June and saw the soulless look in her eyes.
"Miss me?" June, or rather the First, said before there was a blinding light that caused Buffy to shut her eyes.
AN: Solvang, CA is about an hour's drive from Santa Barbara, which Joss said is the approximate location for Sunnydale.
Any Supernatural fans? Remember when Lilith was possessing that little girl played by a young Sierra McCormick? That's what June looks like.
I mentioned above to ignore the comics. I know in the comics we find out that it was just a decoy in 'The Girl in Question' but I've changed that for the sake of the story. Also, they've never mentioned The Immortal's real name so I made one up.
I promise more action, less introspection next time. Let me know what you think! Review, please :)