Jenny Calendar | Buffy (romanypagan) wrote in welcomethreads, @ 2013-08-06 16:02:00 |
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Entry tags: | jenny calendar, rupert giles |
WHO: Rupert Giles & Jenny Calendar
WHERE: Her apartment.
WHEN: Shortly after her arrival.
WHAT: Reunions!
RATING: Low.
STATUS: log; complete.
After Tara’s arrival in Storybrooke, Giles began to consider the very real possibility that any of them could be reunited with lost loved ones at any moment. Jenny’s face had floated in the back of his mind, but he’d refused to acknowledge the thought. He knew that it would hurt too much if nothing ever came of it. He told himself not to hope, but he still scanned the network carefully every day. So much so that when her face finally did appear, he was worried that he might have tricked himself into believing she was there. She was in Storybrooke. Alive. Giles took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose as he took a few deep breaths to try and gain some semblance of composure. It was a losing battle, as he rarely ever maintained composure when Jenny Calendar was involved. “Right then,” he said to himself as he straightened his shirt and tie and made his way toward her apartment. He rather hoped the right words would come to him when he saw her, because at that moment, he hadn’t the faintest bloody idea what he was going to say to her. Upon reaching her front door, he hesitated only a moment longer before he knocked softly. It had been over four years since he’d seen her. He knew he had changed from the man she’d known and loved. But even if nothing could come of their past romance here, he would be forever grateful for this opportunity to see her again. Out of everyone that she knew of that she was here she was the happiest to know that it was Rupert and the one that she was looking forward to seeing the most especially after her encounter with Angel. She hadn’t mentioned that on the network, preferring to mention it in person. Plus she was still trying to wrap her mind around everything that he had told her, the fact that the restoration spell supposedly worked. Rupert could be able to tell her one way or another if that was true or not. A part of her truly hoped that was the case though, she knew how much it had hurt Buffy losing him as well as the fact she hadn’t told them. She hadn’t realised though, if she had she truly would have said something. That restoration spell was her way of making it up to her and she hadn’t told them about it before the attack... After meeting Angel, she hadn’t thought she would like this place all that much but then she realised that Angel was right and that the others were here. Still she would hold off making her mind up until she talked to the others. She was looking forward to seeing Rupert again though. Hearing the knock at the door she took a deep breathe and rose to answer it. Seeing Rupert there she grinned, she couldn’t help it after all that she had been through, launching herself at him for a hug. All the emotions of the past twenty four hours, probably not even that actually, was starting to catch up with her. One couldn’t be attacked and nearly killed, pulled to another place to nearly immediately encounter their would be killer again without an extreme emotional upheaval and then to see Rupert again... It was too much For being a veteran of so many battles, he was supremely slow to react to her hug. It still didn’t seem quite real for him. But as he felt her arms wrap around him and breathed in her familiar scent, he closed his eyes and smiled. He wrapped his arms tightly around her in return. He didn’t want to let go of her, but they couldn’t very well stand in the doorway for the rest of the evening. Eventually he pulled back enough to look her in the eye. He brought a hand up to the side of her face. “You are a sight for sore eyes.” Jenny didn’t want to move, to know that Rupert was truly there with her was exactly what she needed at the moment. “So are you, I never thought I’d see you again,” she said softly. She knew if it wasn’t for that portal she wouldn’t have and that was what made this reunion so... needed in her eyes. She wanted to put everything aside and start again. Stepping back she smiled up at him, with joy, happiness and relief in her expression. “Come in did you want a cup of tea?” she offered him. “I found some while I was out earlier.” It was completely Rupert’s fault that she drank tea these days... Really. Though truthfully she did find coffee rather bitter unless she added a heap of sugar into it which she tried to avoid as much as possible. The expression of happiness on her face brought a lump to his throat that he quickly tried to swallow past. He’d truly believed that he would never get to see that look on her face again. He felt his own smile in response. She always did have a way of making him light up. “I may be a bit older these days, but some things never change. I would love a cup of tea.” He moved inside her apartment and lightly closed the door behind himself. As they moved through to the kitchen, Giles watched her every move and drank it in as if she would disappear at any moment. “I’m afraid I’m at a loss for where to even start,” he said with a small laugh. “You have, as always, found a way to fluster me as much as possible.” “Good I’d be worried you were an imposter if you turned down a cup,” she joked with a smile. It was mostly just a distraction from everything else that was going through her mind, of things that she had to talk about with Rupert. “Tea first then conversation,” she said putting on the kettle. Plus it gave her time to compose herself for what surely would be a tough conversation for both of them. “I do try,” she said with a grin. “You are quite sexy and amusing when you are flustered,” she replied turning up to kiss his cheek. Of the two of them, Jenny had always been the more forward of the two of them in their relationship. She’d tended to make all the moves while he practiced asking her out on an empty chair in the library. Which was why he surprised himself by putting a hand on her waist as she leaned up to kiss his cheek. He pulled her closer and raised his other hand to caress the side of her face. He just held her for a long moment before he kissed her properly. Jenny was surprised at the boldness of the move but she wasn’t going to complain. Instead she just leant into his touch, returning the kiss. It was perfect, just how she remembered it before everything went to hell for her. She supposed it had been even longer for him too from what she had gathered. It didn’t matter now, the two of them were together again even if it wasn’t Sunnydale. If it wasn’t for whatever brought them here they wouldn’t have had this chance and that isn’t something she was going to complain about. “I love you,” she murmured as she pulled back for air, though she didn’t step out of the embrace. Giles leaned his forehead forward to rest lightly against hers. It had been so long since he’d been able to hold her like this. It made his chest tighten. “I love you too,” he returned her sentiment and exhaled deeply. “Jenny, I’m so sorry for everything that happened. I should have kept you safe. There is little I regret more than how it all ended.” “Shush you,” she said smiling up at him. “It might not have ended well but I was probably just as guilty as you if not more so. I was the one who kept the loophole a secret not realising what truly would happen if he did achieve full happiness.” That was something she truly regretted. That was probably what lead to the end of her and Rupert’s relationship back in her own time. “I hear it turned out alright that he got his soul back though,” she said softly. Her words were true, of course. But it was difficult to place blame on the dead, and Giles had forgiven her tresspasses years ago. It was hard not to blame himself for the way everything had happened. After all, he had lived while she hadn’t. Just another of the burdens he carried. “Did Buffy tell you?” He hadn’t seen anyone mention Angel to her on the network, but he’d been in such a hurry to see her, that he’d hardly glanced at the other comments. Someone very well could have told her about what had happened with Angel. This was the hard part of the conversation, one she was glad that Rupert was actually here for. She didn’t want to work through this alone truthfully and he could at least confirm what she had learned. “No,” she replied eventually. “Before I posted on the network I was at the library trying to see what I could learn. I... I ran into Angel there,” she admitted. “He was the one who told me. I didn’t know whether to believe him or not.” It had shaken her more than she wanted to admit truthfully. Perhaps if she had learned that he was there beforehand it would have been easier. Hearing the kettle finish whistling she pulled back. “I do believe I owe you that cup of tea though,” she said. A change of topic was good. Very good actually. Giles felt his spine grow rigid as she told him that she’d already met with Angel. Were the fates truly that cruel? To pull her from seconds before her death, only to lead her straight toward her murderer in this little town? Giles knew that it hadn’t been Angel who killed her, not really. And he’d done much in the way of redemption over the years, but there were days when Giles still struggled with everything that had happened. He was still gathering his thoughts after the shock of her announcement when she pulled away to focus on the tea kettle. He moved to the cupboard and brought down two mugs for them. “I don’t know that I would say everything turned out all right in the end.” It would never be all right. Jenny lay dead, Giles had been tortured, and Buffy had to send Angel to hell. But the world didn’t end, and that was something. “But Willow was able to restore his soul, yes. Her power has grown beyond anything you could imagine. They’ve all changed, really. Grown.” Jenny stilled before bringing the kettle over to the mugs and pouring the tea into it. She would never serve tea bags to Rupert, ever. “I’m glad,” she finally said. She wasn’t sure what else to say on the matter. Despite it all she was glad that he regained his soul, she had seen what it did to Buffy and everyone else. Even though Xander had never liked him she had a feeling it affected him too seeing Buffy like that. It was one reason she started making that ritual to restore Angel’s soul, it was the only way to fix things but unfortunately she had run out of time to do so. “They all do have so much potential, Willow especially,” she said with a smile. She did adore Willow, probably the most out of that group - well group of students that is Rupert would always be her favourite no matter what. “She is careful though, magic can be so dangerous at times...” she said before passing Rupert his mug. “Come we might as well make ourselves comfortable,” she added leading the way into the living room. He wanted to ask how her conversation with Angel had gone, but he knew that she’d tell him when she was ready. For now they would focus on other things. He took the tea mug from her and blew on it lightly. Despite the warm weather outside, he still enjoyed the hot drink. It was comforting. He took a moment to watch her as she made her way into the living room. It wasn’t like watching a ghost. Very much the opposite, in fact. She breathed life into the room and into him. He knew the adjustment of their new situation wouldn’t be easy on either of them, but he wouldn’t trade this for anything. He allowed himself a smile as he followed after her. |