A/N: Ok all, I know you are all wondering why I'm starting another fanfic. My brain is fried right now, and this just sort of came to me. I'm having some major difficulties getting my thoughts on "Enchantment Scorned" together, and I'm sorry for not updating as much as I used to. But here's another story to keep you going while I work on that one.

This takes place after season TWO of Buffy. For the sake of my story, Buffy killed Angel in AUGUST, not June. The Trio are in their Seventh Year.

That's about all you need to know besides the pairings...

Eventually Buffy/Angel, Hermione/Harry, Ron/?, Draco/? (You'll have to see...heh heh :) )

Ok, here's the fic. Enjoy!

Chapter One - Sleep to Dream

I got my feet on the ground and I don't go to sleep to dream / You got your head in the clouds and you're not all what you seem / This mind, this body, and this voice cannot be stifled by your deviant ways / So don't forget what I told you, don't come around, I got my own hell to raise.

--Fiona Apple "Sleep to Dream"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Buffy? Buffy, wake up."

Buffy awoke with a groan and rolled over, turning away from Giles. "I don't want to get up. I want to sleep."

"Buffy, you can't sleep forever."

"Watch me." She quipped, falling back into the dreamless sleep she had fallen into all night.

Giles sighed and went back downstairs.

"Well?" Willow asked.

Giles sighed yet again. He seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. "She went back to sleep."

"Again? Giles, its 5:30."

"I'm well aware of that, Willow. The fact of the matter is, she's grieving. I'll wake her up in a few hours for patrol."

"Do you think that's a good idea, G?" Xander asked. "I mean, she's not exactly in the right state of mind."

"Buffy has always done well while she was upset. She lets out her frustration on the demons she fights without hesitation. She may very well feel better afterward."

"I don't understand. It was Angelus she sent to Hell, a soulless, evil killer. Why is she so upset?"

"Xander." Giles said, taking a breath. "She may have saved the world, but the cost was her love. Right now, evil or not, she feels like she's lost her heart."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy raises her sword to dispatch Angelus, but stays herself when he suddenly gasps loudly and groans in pain. She sees his eyes glow bright red for an instant and go back dark. He looks up at her, but quickly collapses to the floor, crying. Buffy stares down at him, but still holds her sword raised behind her.

Angel raises himself back up, his eyes heavy with tears, and looks into her eyes. "Buffy? What's going on?"

Buffy just looks at him, confused but not yet ready to lower the sword. Angel looks around a bit and gets to his feet. "Where are we? I-I don't remember."

Buffy suddenly realizes that the curse has worked, and she slowly lowers her sword. "Angel?"

Angel, seeing her wound, says, "You're hurt." Buffy looks down at her wound and feels his gentle touch on her arm. She ignores her cut, looks back up at him and steps closer. He embraces her tightly. "Oh, Buffy......... God."

Buffy still isn't completely sure that it's true, but accepts the hug. "I......... I feel like I haven't seen you in months."

Buffy finally accepts that this is Angel - HER Angel - closes her eyes, and breathes out a deep sigh. "Oh, my God, everything's so muddled. I....." Angel holds her even more closely. He sighs deeply and kisses her on the shoulder. "Oh, Buffy........."

Buffy cries into his shoulder and hugs him back. Behind Angel, Acathla lets out a low rumble. Buffy opens her eyes and stares in shock as Acathla's face contorts. His brows angle down, his eyes glow red, his mouth opens grotesquely and the swirling vortex to Hell opens, small at first, but growing steadily in size and emanating a deep, red glow.

Buffy lets go of Angel and looks up into his face. Angel, confused, asks, "What's happening?"

Buffy whispers reassuringly. "Shh. Don't worry about it." She brushes her fingers over his lips and across his cheek. She lays her hand on his cheek and kisses him softly. Angel returns the kiss, and it becomes more passionate. Behind them the vortex has grown and continues to get larger. Buffy breaks off the kiss and looks deeply into Angel's eyes. "I love you."

"I love you."

Buffy touches his lips with her fingers again. "Close your eyes." She nods reassuringly, and he closes his eyes. She tries hard not to start crying, and kisses him again gently. She steps back, draws back her sword and thrusts it into his chest.

Angel's eyes whip open in surprise and pain, and a bright light emanates from the sword. Buffy steps away from him. Angel reaches out to her and looks down at the sword thrust completely through him. He looks at her imploringly, completely bewildered by this turn of events. She can only stare at the sword protruding from his chest, and slowly steps further back.

"Buffy........." Behind Angel, the power of the sword begins to swirl into the vortex. Buffy steps further back, still looking only at the sword in his chest and not into his face. The vortex has enlarged and the two energies begin to interact. Angel still holds out his hand to Buffy. When the vortex finally meets him, it suddenly closes into Acathla's mouth without as much as a spark, taking him with it. Buffy stares at the stone demon for a long moment, a light of awareness dawning in her eyes as she truly realizes what she has done, what she has lost. She begins to sob, her heart breaking.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy awoke sweating, the tears still spilling down her cheeks. She sent him to Hell. With a soul. Angel was stuck in Hell with a soul.

And she felt like it was for nothing, because her world was ending anyway.

Buffy still hadn't told anyone that the spell had worked, that Angel's soul was bound before she sent him to hell, and permanently for that matter. How did she know it was permanent? She felt it. Whenever Angel was with her, soul or not, there was always the demon lurking behind him. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, the darkness was always there.

But there was no darkness last night. No evil waiting to attack. It was just him.

And now, he was stuck in Hell, no evil to keep him alive. Buffy almost wished Willow hadn't cast the spell.

Almost.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Buffy came down the stairs slowly, putting her hair up in a ponytail.

"Buffy. Hey, you're - " Willow stopped. "Going out."

"Yeah. I need to patrol. My mind needs some clearing."

"Do you want company?" Xander asked.

"No. No company. I need to be alone right now. I probably wouldn't be a very good conversationalist anyway. Hell, even the voices in my head are quiet. I'm good. I'll be okay." Buffy gave them a forced smile and walked out the door.

"Maybe we should follow her." Willow said. "Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."

"Like what, Will? We can't reach her. She's in a place only she can be. All we can do now is wait until she comes around."

"I should call Joyce and tell her what's going on." Giles said, getting up and going to the phone.

Xander sighed. He and Willow sat on the couch in silence.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Buffy headed straight for Angel's old apartment. She carefully pushed the door open and turned on a light.

Buffy took it all in, everything from the colors of the walls to the tiles on the floor. She found herself in his bedroom faster then she would have liked. The place where everything started.

Buffy curled up on the bed and begged the tears not to fall, but it was to no avail.

"It's my fault," she said, a broken whisper, before dozing back off to sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Angel opens the door to his apartment and he and Buffy come in. He turns on the light. Buffy closes the door behind them. He takes off his coat and lays it aside. Buffy is soaked through to her skin without a coat or jacket.

"You're shaking like a leaf." Angel says to her.

"Cold."

"Let me get you something." He gets some clothes from his armoire and hands them to her. "Put these on. Get under the covers, just to warm up." Buffy walks over to his bed and sits down. She looks up at him. He faces away to give her privacy. "Sorry."

Buffy takes off her top shirt and winces and inhales in pain. "What?" Angel asks. "Oh, um......... It's okay. I just have a cut or something." She answers him. "Can I......... Let me see." Buffy clutches her shirt to her chest and whispers, "Okay."

Angel turns around and sits down on the bed behind her. He gently touches her back and looks at the cut. "It's already closed. You're fine." Buffy leans back into him and cuddles her face to his. He puts his arms around her.

"You almost went away today." Buffy says to him.

"We both did."

Buffy begins to sob softly. "Angel..... I feel like I lost you......... You're right, though. We can't be sure of anything."

"Shh. I........."

Buffy turns around to look at him. "You what?"

Angel takes an unneeded breath. "I love you. I try not to, but I can't stop."

"Me, me, too. I can't either."

They start to kiss. After a moment Angel breaks off. "Buffy, maybe we shouldn't........."

Buffy stops him. "Don't. Just kiss me."

Angel does exactly as she asks.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Buffy was awakened by a tap at the door. She groaned as she woke up, but became alert. She grabbed her stake out of her pocket and walked over to the door.

Buffy flung the door open -

And there was no one there.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are." She said, walking outside. She shrugged when she got no response.

As Buffy walked in and was about to close the door, an owl flew into the apartment.

"Hey, owl post." She said, jokingly, seeing a letter attached to the owl's leg. The owl hooted.

"Am I supposed to read it?"

The owl stuck out its leg in response.

Buffy regarded the owl with suspicion, but took the letter anyway. It bore an odd-looking seal.

She opened the letter and read:

Dear Ms. Summers,

I hope you were not startled by Sari's method of delivering letters. I know that Muggles ("Muggles?") are not accustomed to mail being delivered this way.

I am writing to ask if you would be interested in a teaching position ("Teach? Me?") at the school where I am headmaster, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry ("Willow would love this.") to be the professor of our Defense Against the Dark Arts class. I understand that as the slayer, you have high qualifications for this job. ("No kidding.")

Please send a response as soon as possible with Sari, as the term begins on September 1st, and tell your watcher that I send my regards. ("Giles?")

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

Buffy blinked a few times. Her mind was spinning. How did this Dumbledore know she was the slayer? And how the hell did he know Giles? Buffy was more confused then ever, but, in a way, the decision was already made for her. The police were after her, she was expelled from school, and Angel was gone. Sunnydale held too many painful memories for her to stay.

Buffy grabbed a pen off of the kitchen counter and scribbled down a short response.

I accept your offer.

- Buffy Summers

Buffy attached the note to Sari's leg. Sari ruffled her feathers and flew off into the night. Buffy watched her until she was out of sight, one thought running through her mind:

Now what?

:: Chapter Two ::