Chapter 7: August 21, 2013 – Her First Love

Chapter Summary: **The 'Love Interest' Part of the 2013 LiveJournal's Twisted Shorts FaD** series. After The First is stopped, Buffy finds her first true love again.

Timeline: starting with AU 'End of Days' for BtVS (NO COMICS); AU pre-series for Bones. Move the Buffy timeline to match up with the Bones one.

Challenge: for the livejournal 2013 August Fic-a-Day Challenge.

Warning: Not terribly Scooby-friendly.

A/N: This does go AU in that something that happened on the show happens differently here. Let me know if you have any ideas for fandoms that you'd like Buffy paired with (male or female).

Disclaimer: BtVS/AtS characters belong to Joss Whedon/Mutant Enemy. Bones characters belong to Hart Hanson and Fox Network. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.

Vineyard

Buffy was enjoying the look of fear in Caleb's eyes as she walked towards him with the weapon she 'Queen Arthured' out of the stone when The First – wearing her face again – started talking, "…And her friends are in trouble. Faith go boom."

Caleb stopped to look at his master, giving Buffy a prime opportunity she wasn't about to pass up. While his attention was split, she decided to go tried and true on him, slicing his neck clean through. She could barely feel the resistance with her new toy.

"Call that payback for the people you hurt during my last visit," she snarked to the corpse.

"You're still behind with the ones my followers just took out," The First taunted, reminding Buffy she had people to try and save.

As she ran out of the building, Buffy realized she had no clue where Faith and the others were – or even who the 'others' with her were. She paused for a moment to think about it logically. Okay, the last place they wanted to keep track of was…the high school! With that, she took off full speed again, quickly dispatching any Bringers that crossed her path along the way.

Sunnydale High School

The higher than normal concentration of Bringers and Turok-Han that she found at the abandoned school made Buffy believe she was in the right place, although the phrase The First used indicated there was supposed to be some kind of explosion.

She fought her way down to the Seal of Danzalthar where she forced Andrew into confessing that he murdered Jonathon and shed real tears of remorse to close the seal temporarily. It surprised her when she got there with no sign of Faith or anybody else.

Where could they be? Maybe they were at the house?

Or maybe The First tried to bluff her so she'd leave without killing Caleb with her new weapon. If that was the case, It failed miserably.

Before she could wonder at that longer, more Bringers and Turok-Han trapped her in the Seal room. She managed to kill them all, but not without taking some serious damage. At one point, an uber-vamp threw her on top of the seal. Unfortunately, her weapon landed underneath her and pierced her stomach. Ignoring the pain, she used the stake end to kill the monster, who happened to be her last opponent.

Then her eyes widened in fear.

Blood was spilling on the Seal.

But to her shock, instead of opening, she saw the seams of the Seal soldering themselves together, using her blood as the filler agent. Okay, that wasn't what she was expecting.

How much of her blood would it take to solder the whole thing?

What had she told Andrew? Good people might die…even her? Was it worth the cost if it saved the world? Would it be better to find a different way to stop The First?

The problem with that was that she didn't know if they would find another way…or even if she was still part of the 'they' side anymore. Finally deciding that she didn't want to die just yet, Buffy tried to climb out of the hole, only to slip and fall back. The pain that shot through her body froze her in place, blood seeping onto the Seal.

A few minutes later, Spike came running into the room, following Buffy's smell and the trail of dead baddies she left behind her. If his heart beat at all, it would have stopped at the sight of her lying on the Seal with her blood spreading across the metal. "Buffy!" he shouted. He raced over and picked her head up to place on his lap. He couldn't hear her heart beating.

The thought of her being dead again caused him to sob in grief. Their relationship – whatever it was – had been the very definition of tumultuous, but he honestly did love her. If only had had thought to get his soul back before he had tried to rape her, maybe they would have had a chance together.

His tears mixed with Buffy's blood, causing the Seal to glow.

Alarmed, he picked her body up and moved it out of the way. No way would her body fall into hell if he had anything to say about it. But instead of opening again like he expected, he thought he saw a shimmer – like glass – coat the top of the Seal. He reached out to touch it, but received a shock that made the taser guns the Initiative gits used feel like joy buzzers.

He wasn't sure what had happened, but at the moment, he didn't care. The woman he loved was dead because he failed to stay at her side.

When he went to pick her up again, he noticed that she was still bleeding. Being a vampire, he knew that blood can flow out of a body due to gravity, but it didn't pulse out like hers was. A pulse meant she was still alive! But barely, given how long it was between beats.

Another thing he knew from being a vampire was how to do blood transfusions. Granted, he knew that so he could keep a victim alive longer while he tortured them, but knowledge was knowledge and if it could save Buffy, who cared where he got it?

He got her out to the parking lot, found the nearest vehicle and placed her body in the passenger seat, trying to keep her lower half above her heart so she wouldn't lose any more blood. Then he hotwired the car and sped to the nearest blood bank. Because of who he was, he knew that Buffy was a universal blood recipient, so all he had to do was find some safe blood to give her – meaning it was still sealed and refrigerated.

Several angst-filled hours later…

Spike waited impatiently for any sign that Buffy would recover from her injuries. He got her started on a blood transfusion, then stitched her up while she was still unconscious. Then he waited…and waited…and waited.

It was just after dawn before she started to move again on her own.

"Slayer?" Spike whispered hopefully. "You in there?"

"You expecting somebody else?" Buffy croaked.

He got her a cup of water and helped her take a few sips before making her lay back down on the chair. "I've got a bone to pick with you, Slayer," he complained. "When I told you about the weapon that the Preacher was hiding, I didn't think you'd go after it alone."

Buffy was still groggy from her injuries, so all she managed was to mutter, "Couldn't risk anyone else. Too many hurt the first time." Then she fell back asleep.

That evening…

It took another long nap before Buffy was able to get up and move. The first thing she demanded to do was go the house and check on the others. Spike fought her on that until she explained what The First said to her at the Vineyard.

"It probably was just messing with you," Spike commented.

"Probably," Buffy allowed, "but I'd never forgive myself if I didn't make sure. Besides, they need to know about the two-sided doodad that killed Caleb and the funky thing my blood did to the Hellmouth Seal."

Spike looked chagrined. "Oh yeah, that reminds me…something else strange happened down there when I found you. See, I thought you were dead and I might have shed a tear or two – in a manly way, of course."

"Of course," she repeated with a warm grin.

"Anyway, when my tears hit the blood on the Seal, there was a little light show and now it has a force field that gave me the biggest shock of my life, electrically speaking," Spike finished.

Buffy's expression turned into confusion. Blood and tears again? "Even more reason to see them and explain what happened to us."

"Alright, but one harsh word from them, and I'm dragging you out of there," Spike growled. It still made him angry how they tried to brush off their actions when he came back with Andrew from the mission.

1630 Revello Drive

The house they walked into was a somber one…at least until the first person saw Buffy standing in the doorway.

"It's your fault they're dead!" Willow screamed.

"Who's dead?" Buffy asked.

Giles moved in between them to keep Willow from attacking Buffy, either physically or magically. "Faith and several of the Potentials. They went to check on an armory that The Bringers were guarding. Only Kennedy managed to escape, but she died shortly after she arrived from her wounds."

"An armory?" Buffy repeated to herself. "How would I have known to look for an armory to help them? What was The First's game in telling me that?"

"The First told you they were dying?" Giles inquired coldly. "And you did nothing to stop that from happening?"

"I didn't know where to look!" Buffy defended herself. "When It told me that Faith was going to be in an explosion, I figured you guys went to the Hellmouth, seeing as how that's what you thought It was guarding."

"When you realized you were wrong…again, why didn't you come here?" Xander demanded, putting his arm around Willow to comfort her.

Spike had enough by that point; he was about one and a half seconds away from following through on his earlier threat to drag Buffy out – against her will if necessary. "She was too busy dying herself!" he snapped at the group.

"I would have, too, if Spike hadn't come along to fix me up," Buffy added. "He got me to a medical place, stitched me up and gave me some blood to replace the stuff I lost."

"So you're a vampire now?" Xander asked in horror and backing away.

Buffy rolled her eyes and said, "I'm inside without an invitation. He gave me blood using a needle and donated blood."

"Still, you shouldn't have run off without giving us some way to get ahold of you," Giles chided.

Spike moved towards Buffy, but she held a hand up to stop him. "There'll be no dragging, but I'll go on my own in just a minute," she told him. Then she quickly recapped what happened at the Vineyard and on the Hellmouth. "I'll call Angel's business every week for updates on Dawn. If she decides that she wants to be with me instead of here, I'll come for her. Otherwise, I'm through," she finished, glaring at the people she fought and died for – more than once – for the past several years.

Dawn's voice came from behind her, full of anger and hate. "That will never happen, so don't bother!" she spit, moving to stand next to Willow and Xander. "We all could have died because you couldn't get past your own pride and work with a team."

"If that's the way you feel-" Buffy started to say.

But Dawn cut her off, "It is."

Buffy nodded and moved towards the door for the last time.

A year later…

Buffy smoothed out her clothes and checked her hair again for the umpteenth time, causing Spike to say with a touch of annoyance, "You're bloody perfect already. You best get moving before everyone thinks you've changed your mind!"

The last twelve months had been wonderful for Buffy and a roller coaster for Spike. Once she was away from those ungrateful bastards – his words, not hers – she decided to look up an old friend. When Spike first met him, he snorted in disbelief.

Apparently, they were an item once upon a time, and even though he was involved with somebody else when Buffy came back into his life, it didn't take long for him to realize that he couldn't risk losing her a second time. Spike needed to leave for a few months after they started dating because it hurt too much to see her with somebody else, especially him.

But then she called and invited him to a party, and by that time, his pain had lessened enough so that he could be sincerely happy for her. Didn't stop him from threatening the ponce, though.

Now they were making it official; in about ten minutes, he would be giving her away to another man forever.

After the reception…

The wedding went by like a dream for Buffy, and before she knew it, she was Mrs. Buffy Summers-Booth. She considered taking his last name only, but Buffy Booth just sounded too weird to her. She was glad they decided to keep the wedding ultra-small because if they had gone big, it would have been painfully obvious how empty her side of the church would be.

She had made some friends in DC since finding Seeley again, but it wasn't the same as having family there. Tears threatened to gather in her eyes, but she wiped them away because today was a day for celebration, not sadness.

Her new husband wrapped his arms around her and whispered, "It's their loss. I could tell you were thinking about them," he answered her unasked question.

"You are so good to me," she said with a smile.

"As long as you're naughty for me later," he replied leeringly.

Buffy scoffed, "Okay, no more hanging out with Spike for you! He's rubbing off on you too much!"

They were just about to get into the car to drive to the hotel when they heard a voice call out, "Buffy! Wait up!"

"Angel?" she gasped when she saw who it was coming towards them. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to bring you back to Sunnydale where you're needed," he said, not even looking at the man behind her.

"Uhh, I think not!" Buffy retorted. "I have a life here, in case you didn't notice my dress. Besides, they have a Slayer, don't they?"

"She isn't as good as you," Angel answered. Then he looked at her husband and reared back. After a couple seconds, he started laughing.

"Something funny?" Seeley asked in an unfriendly tone.

"Probably not to you," Angel snarked, "but it's funny to me…and a little sad."

Buffy shared a look of confusion with Seeley before asking, "What are you talking about?"

"C'mon, Buffy, you know why you married this guy," Angel said.

"Yeah, because I love him," she replied.

"No, because he looks like me!" Angel corrected her.

"Ego much?" She paused and then shrugged. "Okay, so technically he looks like you, but that's only because you're older than him. If you are suggesting that I fell in love with him because of that, you have it backwards. I grew up with Seeley until my freshman year in high school, and we dated for most of middle school. Dad got a transfer to California, so we moved away. I kind of went boy-crazy at Hemery and when I moved to Sunnydale and saw you, I saw somebody who looked like I imagined Seeley would look like in about ten years."

Angel felt like he had been punched in the stomach. "Why didn't you or Dawn mention this before?"

"And say what? You remind me of my ex-boyfriend a little and I'd like to go out with you?" she asked rhetorically. "You were already being a pain about the age issue. And it's not as if I wasn't ever fond of you…or even in love with you at one point. I wouldn't have slept with you just because of the resemblance," Buffy said.

"Hey, too much information about your past," Seeley interrupted. "Can we just say good night and get on with our honeymoon?"

"Okay," Buffy agreed. "Tell you what, Angel, you tell Spike about whatever needs me personally, and if you convince him that I have to go, then I'll postpone my honeymoon to go. But it had better be at least Glory-level bad or worse," she warned him. "I've been looking forward to this honeymoon for months now."

"So what's the bad news, Poof?" Spike asked, having snuck up behind Angel so he could defend Buffy and her new hubby if need be. Or provide them the distraction they needed to get into their car and drive away from the brooding menace.

A/N: Okay, not Angel-friendly either. When somebody suggested Booth, though, I had to give them this backstory because it's always either Booth is Angel's Shanshu human identity or Buffy's replacing Angel with his lookalike, Booth. I wanted her to love Booth first and Angel second.