Author- Midnight Faith

Archiving- Please ask first

Disclaimer- I do not own the characters within this story. They belong to Joss Whedon and the mutant enemy corporation. No infringement intended

Rating- PG- 13 just to be safe

Setting- During ‘Revelations’ (middle to early season 3) as ever with my fic Jenny was not killed during ‘Passion’ everything else remains the same.

It was the usual bright, sunny Californian day which matched Jenny’s mood exactly. She smiled as she drove into the faculty parking lot and parked her ‘bug car’ between Giles’ rusty French Citroen and a silver mustang convertible. She checked her burgundy lipstick in the passenger mirror before gathering her books and making her way to the Spanish- style entrance of Sunnydale high.

"Hey! Miss. C! Wait up!" Jenny recognised the voice as Xander’s. She turned and greeted him with a friendly smile.

"Morning," she said to him.

"You headed to the library?" he asked her.

"Uh, yeah, I have this, um, book to give back to Rupert,"

"And what was the title of the book?"

"Um…" Jenny said as Xander chuckled,

"Yeah, right flimsy excuse," Xander said as they began to walk towards the library, "everyone knows you can’t get enough of the G- man." Jenny smiled and blushed,

"Everyone?" she asked.

"Well precisely five students," he told her making Jenny laugh.

Six months ago she would never have dreamt of having this kind of friendship with a student. It would probably have made her slightly uncomfortable joking in such a way with Xander, or anyone else for that matter. But she didn’t think of the scoobies as students anymore, more like her friends.

"Yeah Xander," she said, and we know you can’t get enough of a certain girl either," Jenny teased, Xander looked confused,

"We’re talking Willow right?" he asked, it was Jenny’s turn to look confused,

"Actually I was talking Cordelia… why what’s with you and Willow?"

"Uh, nothing, crazy talk," he told her as Jenny raised one eyebrow, "God! How long did it take you to learn how to do that?"

"About three hours," she told him, "I’ll show you how to do it sometime not in my class," she told him, all thoughts of Willow and Xander cleared from her mind,

"Sure! How bout next time were on one of those all night demon research things, which by the way next time is your turn to bring the party mix," he reminded her.

"You’re on," she told him, "I’ll bring little jelly sweets,"

"Jelly babies?"

"If you’re lucky,"

"Bagsy the green ones,"

"Yuck! The green ones are horrible! It’s gotta be the pink,"

"No green!" Xander argued as they approached the library door. Xander stopped dead.

"Something wrong?" Jenny asked him.

"Just suddenly wondering what the hellmouth will spit out today," he told her,

"You know I wonder that all the time," she almost confided in him,

"Then I guess were on the same wavelength,"

"I guess we are," Jenny told him laughing as she shouldered the library door opened. Xander held the door open and let Jenny in ahead on him…

You could have cut the atmosphere in the library with a knife. Buffy, Faith and Cordelia all sat at the table looking extremely bored. Giles and a woman neither Jenny nor Xander had seen before was stood up, leaning over the table talking to the girls about something. Giles stood beside her looking equally bored. Sensing the presence of the two newcomers to the library all five faces turned to look at Xander and Jenny. Giles headed over to Jenny and addressed the middle aged woman stood at the table,

"Um, Mrs. Post this is my um… uh… friend Jenny Calendar and um, another of Buffy’s friends, Xander Harris," Giles told the woman, "Jenny, Xander this is Mrs. Gwendolyn Post she is to be Faith’s watcher," Giles told them.

"Charmed," Mrs. Post said smiling a little icily at the two immigrants "We were just discussing battle tactics," Mrs. Post told them.

"Oh, sounds like fun," Jenny said in her almost flippant manner, Buffy smiled warmly at Jenny, Jenny returned the smile. Faith yawned,

"Faith why don’t you come and say you’re bored?" Cordelia said in her ‘tactful’ manner.

"Miss. Chase," Mrs. Post said in a clearly British accent, "you are not a slayer and this is no concern of yours, you are free to leave at any time,"

"Yeah, like I needed you to tell me that," she said gathering up her stuff and slinging her black shoulder bag over her shoulder, "I’m outta here,"

"Me too because I have French and that’s like my most favourite class ever so bye!" Xander said running after Cordelia as the bell rang for first period.

"I gotta go," Jenny said,

"Um, yeah me too," Buffy said "I’ll help you carry your books if ya want," Buffy told Jenny,

"Cool! Thanks!" Jenny said handing her half of her books.

"B! Let me help you with those," Faith said scrambling and taking the top book from Buffy’s pile,

"But girls we haven’t…" Mrs Post was interrupted by Faith,

"Sorry Mary Poppins, duty calls," Faith told her new watcher,

"I’ll see you later," Jenny told Giles recess?"

"Recess," he confirmed as the three women exited the library…

"Thanks" Buffy said gratefully as they left the library,

"She’s a drag," Faith told Jenny as they began to climb the stairs to the computer lab,

"But isn’t Giles you guys watcher?" Jenny asked,

"I don’t think a watcher can have two slayers," Buffy said as they got to the computer lab.

"So I’ll see you later?" Buffy asked Jenny,

"Count on it," Jenny said as the slayers left her lab, the cogs in her mind began to turn into place, she sat at her computer and logged onto the net… this might take several hours of surfing…

It was hours after Jenny’s initial suspicions. She knew if she waited here long enough one of the scoobies would come and find her, like they had a thousand times in the past when her classes had overrun or she’d lost track of time whilst surfing the net…

Sure enough Buffy came to find her shortly after the bell had rung for lunch break, she knocked three times on the door.

"Buffy! Come in! You know you don’t have to knock," Jenny told her,

"Uh, yeah hi," Buffy said entering the lab, "I was worried… about you, you didn’t show in the library and to tell the truth we could really use your help. Mrs. Post is going postal if that doesn’t sound strange…"

"Buffy," Jenny interrupted, "take a look at this," she said gesturing to the computer,

"What’s up?" Buffy asked as Jenny sat at the computer, pressed a couple of keys and brought up the watcher’s council files,

"Mrs. Post isn’t registered on here," Jenny told her scrolling down the list of watchers to ‘P’ where Buffy saw she wasn’t listed,

"So Mrs. Post is a fake?" Buffy asked,

"I dunno, I… Don’t say anything to Giles yet, you know until I’m sure," Jenny told Buffy,

"Sure," Buffy said, "Actually he sent me up to get you but uh… Willow’s on the computer downstairs, in the other lab so gimme the programmes or whatever and I’ll get her to look into it," Buffy told Jenny,

"Thanks," Jenny said, handing Buffy a sheet of paper with the instructions to break the security barriers, "Did Rupert say what he wanted?"

"Uh, no, I think he just needs to see you," Buffy told Jenny smiling,

"It’s not like that!" Jenny told Buffy,

"But it will be soon," Buffy reminded her, "You have a thing, he has a thing it’s only a matter of time before one of you incredibly shy people makes a move," Buffy left the lab but said as she went, "See ya tomorrow probably,"

"Yeah tomorrow and Buffy?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks…"

"Hey guys what’s up?" Jenny asked as she entered the library glad to see Mrs. Post wasn’t there. Giles, Cordelia and Xander all sat there with grim expressions on their faces, "OK, what’s going on?" she asked as Xander gave her his chair and knelt by her side.

"It’s not you Jenny," Giles said to her gently standing up and coming to kneel by her other side,

"What is going on?" Jenny said standing up, a feeling of dread pulsing through her body,

"You might want to sit down," Xander told her,

"No I don’t," Jenny told him, "Out with it, what’s the sitch?"

"I have no idea how to tell you this," Giles said coming to stand face on to her taking her left hand in his right, "It’s Angel,"

"Angel?" Jenny said her voice full of innocence and fear,

"He’s back," Giles said simply,

"But it’s OK," Cordy butted in "Were not gonna let him anywhere near you,"

"I’ll camp on your bedroom floor if I have to," Giles told her

"Seconded," Xander said,

"I won’t leave you alone for a second," Cordy vowed.

"But Buffy?" Jenny said her voice still weak, "I saw her a second ago and she was fine, she didn’t say anything,"

"Buffy knew," Xander told her,

"What?" Jenny said sinking down into Xander’s chair, "Oh my god!"

"Buffy doesn’t know we know," Giles told her, sinking down to his knees to take her hand in his once again, "We plan to confront her later,"

"Sorry Jenny," Cordelia told her,

"No need to apologise," Jenny told her, staring straight ahead chewing on her perfectly French manicured nail, as Giles gestured wildly for Xander and Cordelia to leave, Jenny didn’t notice, too absorbed in her own fearful thoughts,

"Yeah, uh we’ll just go," Xander said taking Cordy’s hand,

"I’ll meet you here after school," Cordy said to Jenny, "no, I’ll meet you in the lab," Cordy said, "Don’t go anywhere, stay there until I get there, take care," she told Jenny as Xander dragged her out of the library.

Giles watched them leave, at a loss of what to say, the only thing he knew how to do was wrap his arms around her shoulders as tears ran down her cheeks,

"It’s OK," he whispered in her ear, "It’s OK." They stayed locked in that embrace for what might have been an eternity taking comfort in each other’s arms, perfectly attuned, their hopes and fears balancing exactly…

Jenny locked her classroom as the last lesson of the day finished. She planned to wait outside for Cordelia but Xander was only down the corridor, ‘watching from a distance’ he had told her. As she turned the key in the lock, Buffy came up to her,

"Jenny… um, hi!" Buffy said nervously,

"Buffy," Jenny said neutrally,

"Giles talked to me. He was pretty mad, um… I know you know about Angel and…"

"Buffy! Please! I can’t talk about this right now…"

"I want you to understand why I hid this from you, I knew you’d be scared. He is Angel. He’s not bad,"

"Yeah, I believe you. All I need right now is to be at home it’s been a long day,"

"Do you want me to drive you home?"

"Buffy! Stop it! I don’t need this constant… I don’t know!" Jenny said as Cordelia came up behind them with Xander in tow.

"Is she bothering you?" Cordelia said glaring icily at Buffy,

"I’d better go," Buffy said running off down the nearly deserted corridor,

"Yeah go see Angel or Angelus or whoever, oh that’s right! He can’t come out in daylight!" Cordy yelled down the corridor behind Buffy, "OK, " Cordy said, "Let’s get you home…"

"Well that was Giles," Cordelia said putting down the receiver. It was hours after she’d taken Jenny home and Giles was due to come round and look after her, "He says he’s sorry he got held up, but I have to take you to the Bronze, where Xander is, where he will look after you, until Giles gets there," Cordy told her.

"Maybe I should just…" Jenny began but Cordy cut her off,

"No way!" Cordy told her, "I am not leaving you here by yourself with Angel on the loose, no one for that matter!" she said. "I’m going straight home after here, Xander’s at the Bronze, nice crowded area, Willow and Oz are at Willow’s and Giles is at the library with Mrs. Post…" Cordy caught Jenny’s look, "What?" she said,

"What?" Jenny repeated,

"Your face when I said Giles was… check out the jealous girlfriend!"

"I’m not his girlfriend," Jenny told Cordy,

"But you wish you were,"

"OK, maybe I wish but… no let’s go to the Bronze," Jenny said picking up her coat from across the back of the sofa and heading out of the door. Cordy shrugged and followed,

"Oh, and the Bronze," Cordy called after Jenny, "try to blend!"

Xander guided Jenny into an empty booth at the back of the Bronze,

"There’s minimal students here," he told her, "Figured you’d wanna talk. I haven’t been much help… I’m sorry, I just don’t know what to say,"

"Just not ‘Are you OK?’ or ‘It’s OK,’ or anything with ‘OK’ in it," Jenny joked,

"Um… so you dealing?" Xander asked her. She shrugged.

"I really don’t know." She told him honestly, as Faith walked over to their table,

"Faith! What’s up?" Xander said cheerfully as if to remind Jenny that Faith knew nothing about Angel.

"What’s going on with Buffy?" Faith asked them outright a little angrily, "Cos Mrs. Post said you were having one of your Scooby gang meetings to which I wasn’t invited again." Jenny and Xander looked at each other across the table,

"It’s Angel," Xander told Faith,

"Yeah, what about him?" Faith asked,

"He’s back," Xander said, his voice void of emotion,

"And she didn’t tell you?" Faith said disbelievingly, "How could she do this to us? To you," she said looking at Jenny, "Oh, my god! Are you OK?"

"I’m fine," Jenny told Faith unconvincingly,

"Then why are you shaking?" Faith asked her and for the first time Jenny realised she hadn’t stopped shaking since Giles had told her of Angel’s return, "Then I say we take him down," Faith said angrily,

"Can I come?" Xander asked,

"Sure," Faith told him, "Jenny?" There was a pause,

"I’m in…"

The fearsome trio burst into the library,

"I call crossbow," Xander said to the others, as they headed for the weapons cabinet,

"You got it," Faith told him, reaching into the cabinet and handing it to him, "Jenny?"

"Holy water?" Jenny asked,

"Uh, huh," Faith said handing her a bottle, "Take these as well," she handed her a sliver cross and two stakes, "He’s a tough vamp," Faith reminded them.

They heard a bang from Giles’ office,

"What was that?" Jenny asked fearfully gripping onto a stake. The three stalked over to the office, Jenny got there first, "Oh my god! Rupert!" she said upon discovering him unconscious on the floor. Xander dropped the crossbow and rushed to check his pulse.

For one agonising moment Jenny truly believed he might be dead,

"He’s OK," Xander told her, "He’ll come round soon,"

"And I bet I know who did this to him," Faith said, her voice brimming with menace, "I’ll go and kill him, you guys stay here and look after Giles," she told them as she ran purposefully from the library.

Xander looked into Jenny’s worried eyes,

"He’ll be fine," he reassured her,

"Angel…" she said, her eyes brimming with tears, "I just had this tiny, little hope that he really was Angel," she told Xander as Giles stirred.

"Jenny?" Giles said from the floor,

"It’s OK," she told him, kneeling by his side, taking his hand in hers,

"Mrs. Post," he said sitting up sharply,

"What about her?" Xander asked suspiciously,

"Oh, my god!" Jenny said realising what was going on, "We’ve just sent Faith after Angel!"

"I bet we can beat her there," Giles said to them, getting up off the floor, swaying slightly,

"You drive," Xander said, tossing Jenny Giles’ car keys from his desk. She caught them.

"Let’s roll," she said quietly, heading out of the door…

Xander was out of the car before Jenny could even cut the engine as they pulled up at the mansion.

"Faith!" Xander yelled into the night running up the path towards the mansion,

"How’s your head?" Jenny asked Giles as she helped him out of the car,

"Sore," he told her as she ran her fingers tenderly over the soon to be purple area of his head, "We should get inside," he told her,

"Wait a minute," she told him, running a finger over his lips. She kissed him- the moment was perfect.

A massive flash of light broke their caress.

"What was that?" Jenny whispered clinging tightly to Giles,

"I don’t know," he said, "we should probably go and investigate,"

"Yeah," Jenny said letting go of him, they held hands as the walked slowly up to the mansion,

"Xander!" Giles yelled as they reached the mansion door, "Are you alright?"

"Faith!" Jenny called after him,

Angel stood sheepishly in the middle of the room; the charred remains of Mrs. Post and the glove of Mynoghon lay in the centre of the room, near him.

"What happened?" Giles asked noticing Buffy there,

"Your watcher friend Mrs. Post," Buffy began, "Turned out not to be a watcher. Nice work Jenny,"

"Uh, I looked on the web," Jenny explained to Giles,

"You did that for me?" he asked her.

"I didn’t want to act like a jealous girlfriend,"

"Did you just say ‘girlfriend?’"

"You noticed that huh?"

THE END