Chapter 2
Angelus smiled evilly as he drove the sword into Buffy's gut. She looked at him in shock, her eyes filling with tears.
"Why?" she asked as the tears started falling down her face.
"Had to return the favour," Angelus said, cackling evilly as he pushed her into the vortex.
"NOOOOOO!"
"No…no…Angel!"
Buffy awoke to someone shaking her. It took her a moment to remember that she wasn't in Sunnydale anymore. She turned to see who had been shaking her; she wasn't surprised to see that it was Dumbledore.
"Restless night, my child?" Dumbledore asked gravely.
"Something like that," Buffy replied as she sat up. "How much did you hear?"
"Enough," Dumbledore replied. "I heard you from the corridor."
Buffy sighed and flopped back down onto the bed. She couldn't believe that she had been so loud that someone could hear her from behind a six inch thick stone wall, although she was appreciative that he had come to wake her up.
"Do you think anyone else heard me?" Buffy asked. She wasn't sure if she wanted anyone else to know what she was dreaming about, and hoped that no one had heard.
"No child, it is still early," Dumbledore replied as he rose from the bedside chair. "Are you ready to see Professor Dippet again?"
"As ready as I'm going to be," Buffy replied. "Could you…ummm…"
"Of course, Miss Summers," Dumbledore replied. "I will be waiting for you outside in the corridor."
"Thank you," Buffy said. She waited until she heard the portrait click closed before getting out of bed. Since she didn't get the chance the night before, Buffy took a moment to explore her surroundings a little.
She was housed in a beautiful room, filled with antiques and dark woods. The bed was king-sized four poster with high thread count sheets and a velvet comforter. The colours of the room were subtle, reds, greens, yellows and blues. In one corner was a wardrobe, and in another was a door. Buffy went to it and opened it cautiously.
Behind the door was a bathroom, but not just any bathroom. It was large with lots of white marble; the bathtub (more like a small pool) was sunk into the middle of the floor with four different taps along the edges. The sink was a pedestal sink, mounted underneath a large mirror. It was brightly lit with glowing orbs, though Buffy wasn't sure what the source of the light was. She assumed it was magic.
She went over to the sink and looked at her reflection in the mirror. As she expected, she looked haggard and tired; her face was pale, there were dark circles under her eyes and her hair was a mess. Well, I guess I can do something about the hair, Buffy thought as she took the elastic holding her hair back out. She combed her hair a few times with her fingers before putting it up in a messy bun.
Satisfied with her appearance, Buffy left the bathroom and crossed the bedroom to the portrait hole. She exited the room, and as she expected Dumbledore was standing watch. What she didn't expect was another person, a young man, dressed in a robe and what looked like a school uniform. He looked to be in his late teens, and he had dark hair, dark eyes and pale skin.
"There you are, Miss Summers," Dumbledore said with a smile and a twinkle in his eye. "I was wondering when you were going to join us."
Buffy smiled slightly in return, but didn't say anything. Instead she looked curiously at the strange boy, who was looking at her with equal curiosity.
"Professor Dippet has asked that our Slytherin sixth-year Prefect, Tom Riddle, take you to his office this morning, as I have to get ready to teach my classes this morning," Dumbledore said. Buffy got the feeling that Dumbledore didn't agree with this arrangement, even though she couldn't figure out why. The boy seemed pretty normal, if a little intense.
"Fine with me," Buffy replied with a shrug. She turned to Tom, who was standing off to the side a little. "What do I call you?"
"Tom is fine, or Mr Riddle, if you prefer," the boy, Tom, replied. Buffy snorted, trying to cover up a laugh. "What's so funny?"
"Your name just reminds me of a Batman villain," Buffy replied, trying to compose herself. Both Dumbledore and Tom stared at her blankly. "Come on, the Dark Knight? The Caped Crusader?"
"I'm sorry, but I've never heard of him," Tom said softly.
"Okay," Buffy said with a shrug. She was used to it, having been around Giles for any amount of time.
"Shall we go, Miss Summers?" Tom asked, offering his arm to her.
"Sure," Buffy replied, taking his arm. "Though if I get to call you Tom, you have to call me Buffy. If you call me Miss Summers, it makes me feel like I'm in trouble. And a little old."
"Fair enough…Buffy," Tom said with a little smile of amusement. Buffy took the offered arm, and together the pair made their way down the corridor to Professor Dippet's office.
"I really hope I'm wrong this time," Dumbledore said with a sigh as he went down the corridor in the direction of his classroom.
"Well, I leave you here," Tom said at the top of the spiral staircase. "Will you be staying at the school?"
"To be honest with you, I have no idea," Buffy replied. "That's why I'm talking to Professor Dippet."
"I see," Tom said with a nod of understanding. "Well, I hope to see you again, Miss Summers…Buffy."
Tom turned and went back down the spiral staircase, leaving Buffy alone in front of the office door. Taking a deep breath, Buffy tapped on the door three times and waited for some sort of response.
"Come in," said a faint voice from the other side of the thick wooden door. Buffy opened the door and entered the office. "Close the door behind you, Miss Summers."
Buffy did as she was told before scanning the room to find Professor Dippet. He was sitting in almost the exact same place as he had been the night before; the only thing that had changed was his clothes. Even the two chairs that had been placed across from him were still there. Buffy sat down in the squishy armchair Dumbledore had conjured, believing that it would be more comfortable than the other chair. Good thing her belief was right.
"How did you sleep, my dear? Dippet asked. "Were the rooms to your liking?"
"They were great, thank you," Buffy said with a small smile of gratitude. She didn't want to mention that she barely slept a wink, but Dippet could probably tell. Buffy had seen herself in the mirror, and she knew that she didn't look like a beauty queen.
"Now, let's get straight to it, shall we?" Dippet said. He had a piece of old-looking paper on a small table next to his chair. Along with that was, oddly enough, an inkpot and a quill. "I need as much detail from you as possible."
"All right," Buffy replied, taking a deep breath. She supposed it wouldn't hurt; after all, it seemed like Dippet only wanted to help her. "I was fighting a vampire, who was trying to raise the demon Acathla and the portal to hell he caused. As we were fighting, the portal was beginning to open. It got so big that the only way there would be enough blood to close it would be to push the vampire into the portal. I was about to give the dying blow, and something came over him. It was like…he was good again. Unfortunately, it was too late and I had to kill him. I drove my sword into his gut and the force pushed him into the portal. There was a really bright light, and when it went away I was laying on the grass outside."
"Interesting," Dippet said, scribbling away. "A 'good' vampire, you say? I've always been under the impression that vampires were soulless, bloodsucking fiends."
"Most of them are," Buffy replied. "But Angel…he was different. He had a soul."
"A vampire with a soul," Dippet said with a small nod. By this time he was finished scribbling and was sitting back in his chair. He stroked his beard in a pensive manner, and Buffy fidgeted nervously. "A vampire and a—slayer, was it? Intriguing, I must say. I am wondering, though…how is it that this vampire had a soul? From my studies and understanding, vampires are soulless."
"That's how he started out," Buffy replied. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to divulge Angel's past; after all, it was his past and not hers. However, Buffy decided to risk it anyway. "Angel was sired in the mid-1700s. I'm not sure of the date, and he never told me. Anyway, for about 150 years he terrorized Europe, until he ended up in Romania. There, he messed with the wrong family, a gypsy family. He killed a girl from that family, and the family cursed him with gypsy magic. They cursed him with a soul, so that he would have to relive anything bad he's ever done. For the past hundred years he's been wandering and broody, until he met me."
"Very intriguing," Dippet repeated. "But I wonder…you say that he was turned in the middle of the 18th century, and was vicious until the late 19th or early 20th century."
"That's right," Buffy replied, wondering what the problem could be with that explanation.
"If that is the case," Dippet continued, stroking his chin, "wouldn't it mean that Angel has had a soul for less than fifty years? Your assertion that he has been wandering for approximately a hundred years is rather perplexing."
"Well, it's June 1998, isn't it?" Buffy asked. She was beginning to get confused, a feeling she didn't like at all.
"Dear child, no!" Dippet exclaimed with a small chuckle. He reached over and patted Buffy on the hand. "It's October 1943."
The last thing Buffy remembered seeing was Dippet's rather worried looking face.
Buffy struggled to open her eyes. It was a struggle; the lights were so bright, and the darkness was comfortable. She could hear voices, muffled and soft as if whoever was talking didn't want to wake her. Buffy stirred a little, discovering that she was laying on something soft, probably a bed. Braving the bright light, Buffy opened her eyes.
She wasn't in the room she had spent the night in. The room she was in now was white and sterile smelling, with several beds arranged in two parallel rows along each wall.
A hospital.
Buffy got up and was about to leave of her own accord when she felt a pair of strong hands on her shoulders, pushing her down. She struggled for a moment before looking up, finding the gentle, caring eyes of Albus Dumbledore in front of her. Sighing in defeat, Buffy lay back down onto the bed.
"You gave us quite a scare, Miss Summers," Dippet said, startling Buffy a little. She hadn't realized he was there. "I am assuming you were not expecting to be transported to 1943?"
"You could say that," Buffy grumbled, sitting up again. Dumbledore was ready to push her back down, but Buffy just gave him a look that told him she wasn't going anywhere. "How the hell did I go back in time 56 years? Time travel is supposed to be very unstable, nearly impossible!"
"It is," Dumbledore said. He sat by Buffy's bedside, next to Dippet. "Professor Dippet and I were wondering how you did it."
"I honestly couldn't tell you," Buffy replied. "I just know that I pushed Angel into the portal after shoving a sword through his gut I ended up here, on the lawn."
"I see," Dippet said. "Well, until we figure out how to get you back, you may have to stay here for a while. The time travel methods available to us now only allow you to go back or forward a few hours at most. Even then, it's very unstable and in the experimental phases."
"So in other words, I'm stuck here," Buffy said bleakly. "And I have no way of getting home."
"That's about it," Dumbledore said with a sad sigh. He smiled at Buffy, trying to reassure her; unfortunately, it wasn't working. "You are very welcome to stay at the castle as our guest, and take advantage of whatever amenities we have."
Dippet gave Dumbledore a strange look; Buffy supposed that Dumbledore hadn't consulted with his superior before offering her a place to stay.
"And if you don't want to stay at the castle, we will gladly put you up in one of the inns in Hogsmeade, or the Leaky Cauldron in London if you prefer," Dippet added hopefully. Buffy thought for a moment; while staying in a hotel on her own did sound rather appealing, there was a certain allure about staying in a magic castle.
"I think I'll stay at the castle," Buffy replied. Dumbledore smiled warmly at her, as did Dippet, though Dippet's smile seemed a little forced.
"Excellent choice," Dumbledore said with an enthusiastic nod.
"You can audit some of the classes, if you like," Dippet said, not wanting to be outdone. "I'm sure you might even be able to participate in things that are largely theory based, like Potions or Arithmacy or History of Magic."
"Sounds like a plan," Buffy replied. Even though she may not get to go home for a long time, it seemed like the prognosis of her stay was beginning to look up. In any case, it was obvious that she had some allies in this time.
"Can I ask you something?" Buffy asked, turning to Dumbledore. The old man nodded, encouraging her to continue. "Can I get out of this hospital and back into some normal clothes?"
"I see no reason that shouldn't be allowed," Dippet said. "I'm sure we can figure something out in regards to your wardrobe. You'll be needing more than just the clothes on your back."
"Fair enough," Buffy replied. "Can we get out of here, like, now? It's just that I really, really hate hospitals."
"Let me just clear it with the nurse," Dippet said. As he left, Dumbledore handed Buffy her clothes and drew the curtain around her bed so that she would have a little bit of privacy. After a quick change, Buffy was ready to leave. Dumbledore ushered her out, watching to make sure Dippet wasn't coming back any time soon. Quickly, she left the hospital wing; she did not want to be there when Dippet and the nurse came back, just in case she was not actually allowed to leave.
There's chapter 2. As usual, positive feedback is nice, constructive criticism is sought after, speculation may or may not be confirmed, and flames will be used to be toast marshmallows. I do my best to reply to all of my reviews, even if it is just a simple "THANK YOU". I do get picky about revealing things in review replies, and more often than not will not answer questions if they will reveal plot points, so please do not ask them.s