Jenny was a lot of things at the moment: upset, angry, bitter and quite tense. While she was convinced that there had been a misunderstanding between her and Giles, that didn't mean she wasn't terribly confused at the moment. Her mind was drowning in questions and she'd been too hurt by his assumption to feel comfortable with him in her presence, so she had sent him away.
How had he found out about her heritage and reason for being in Sunnydale? How was it that he knew more about Angel's curse than she did? What was to be done now, should she reveal her identity to the kids? Where did she and Rupert go from here?
It was hard to explore answers to these questions when he wasn't here but she reassured herself that they will talk soon. Right now, she wanted to calm down. As it was already late, she decided she should try to get to sleep; it was, after all, a school night. As she went about her nightly rituals, she couldn't help but wonder what she should say to Giles when she saw him tomorrow. What could she say? Maybe I should let him lead the conversation. She thought as she climbed into bed. Ever since Eyghon had taken over her body, sleep came rather quickly to her and she seemed to need more of it than usual. Her last thought before she drifted to sleep was if Rupert will still be mad at her in the morning….
"This will really excite you." A young, seventeen year old Ethan Rayne said to a fit, punk, seventeen year old Rupert Giles. They're both wearing ripped jeans, tee shirts and boots. "He's called Eyghon. One of us has to go into a deep sleep, then the other summons the demon. He takes over the sleepers body. It's supposed to be amazing. Because than crack."
Giles took the book from Ethan, reading it aloud. "Eyghon the Sleepwalker." He said, in a clear cockney accent. "Where'd you find this?"
"Does it matter where?" Ethan replied, in the same cockney accent. He moved to sit on Giles's lap and wrapping his arms around his neck. Giles doesn't react. "You said you wanted to up the ante. We can do this, Ripper, we're powerful. Especially when we're together."
Giles regards Ethan for a moment. "Ethan…"
"Please?" Ethan said, pouting slightly, pressing his forehead against Rupert's and smiling mock innocently. "For me?"
Giles smiles and chuckles darkly. "Well how could I resist?" he whispers again his lips before kissing his passionately.
Giles and Ethan are sitting on the floor. A sheet with the logo signifying the mark of Eyghon in front of them. They were going to perform the ritual. Pink Floyd's The Wall was playing in the background, in case Giles's grandmother retuned early, Giles always played his records and the music will mask most loud noises. Giles begins chanting, reading from the book while Ethan begins to fall asleep. "Go to sleep…" He whispers in Ethan ear as sleep rides over him.
Giles waits a moment. Had it worked? Then, all of a sudden, Ethan springs up, a bright green light in his eyes as he roars.
"Arghhhhh! Ripper, it's amazing! Oh my Lord. Ripper!"
Then, his face becomes demonised as Eyghon himself manifests upon Ethan's features, his baritone voice echoing in the house Giles lived in this his grandmother.
"Ahh, it feels good to be free!" Eyghon Ethan declares.
"Eyghon." Cries Giles.
"And who might you be?"
"Ripper."
"Well, thank you, Ripper for freeing me. Be seeing you very soon."
Then, Eyghon had disappeared, had left Ethan's body and Ethan had returned. He was panting slightly but relaxed, utterly spent.
"Ethan?" Giles began, softly. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, Ripper!" Ethan said in amazement. "That was the greatest high of my life. You have to try it. Oh my God." Ethan relaxed on the floor, leaning on Giles bed. They looked at each other for a moment.
"You're right; we are powerful." Giles marvelled before leaning forward on kissing Ethan firmly on the mouth.
Jenny woke to the gnawing sound of her electric alarm clock, informing her it was time to get up. That was yet another dream she had had about Giles in his youth. At first, she had just dismissed it as her mind fuelling her insecurities. When she had seen Giles's interaction with Ethan in the library the day she was possessed by Eyghon, she had sensed some kind of dark, sexual undertone to the hostility that they had showed each other but she had chalked it up to her own dark thoughts and libido. But now, she wasn't so sure. She dreamt about him during the Ripper days of his youth. She dreamt of the time they had summoned Eyghon and the mass amounts of sex that it had led to, and the Rupert in her dreams did not discriminate on gender. But there was always something constant between him and Ethan. And she didn't know what to think of it. Had they been in love? It was just another topic of conversation that they'd have to have when next they spoke.
She decided that the first thing she should do is have a conversation with Buffy. She thought she should apologies for not being forthcoming about her identity and tell her about the curse, so Buffy wouldn't be in any danger. Noticing the Scooby Gang at Buffy's locker as she approached her classroom, she stopped and greeted them.
"Hey, kids." She said, cheerfully.
"Hey, Miss Calendar!" Squealed Willow.
"Hey." Greeted Buffy and Xander.
"Yo, Ms Calendar. Would it be inappropriate of me to express my joy that you and Giles are back together?" Xander asked in his typical Xander fashion.
Jenny blushed slightly as Xander, Willow and Buffy all looked at her, happy smiles on their faces.
"Awe yeah," started Willow, "I've always been team Calendiles!" She declared. The comment made all four giggle.
"Team Calendiles?" Jenny inquired, though she didn't need to.
"Yeah," said Buffy. "You, Calendar. Him, Giles. You and him equals Calendiles." While the nickname put a smile on her face, under the surface, it saddened her. She wasn't Calendar. Not really anyway. Though she desperately wanted to be. Ever since meeting Giles, Buffy, Xander and Willow, she wanted to become her alias and strip herself of her gypsy roots. It had never given her anything to be part the tribe. Although it's where she came from, she always wanted the break away. And right here, in Sunnydale, it was like the opportunity was presenting itself.
"We're happy for you guys." Buffy stated happily, her voice jogging Jenny out of her musings. "And you passed the Scooby screening test with flying colours so yay."
That made her chuckle. "And what did you measure on this Scooby screening test?" She asked playfully.
"Your garden variety stuff really." Said Xander. "Do we get along with you because you're so cool and awesome; check."
"Do you have untapped knowledge about demons, evil forces and witchcraft; check." Offered Willow.
"Do you…" Buffy started, "Like Giles?"
"Check." All three of them said in unison.
Jenny laughed; these kids sure did have a way of making her feel warm inside. With a hand on her heart, she declared, "You guys are so lovely, I'm touched." She gave them a warm smile just as the five minute bell went, signalling to student and teachers to get ready for class.
"Oh, that's the bell," Jenny said, a little agitated, "I gotta go. Buffy, could I talk to you for a moment?"
Buffy regarded the computer science teacher for a moment, taken by her request. "Oh, sure."
"Let's go into my classroom. See you later, guys." She said to Xander and Willow before moving down the hallway to her empty classroom, Buffy following behind her.
Once they were inside, Buffy asked, "So what's this about? Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, everything's fine. Well, I think so, anyway."
"Well, what's wrong?"
Jenny took a deep breath. "Okay, listen. You have to believe me when I say that I didn't come here to hurt anyone. Especially you and Giles."
"Ms Calendar, you're starting to scare me." Buffy said, noticeably tense.
"Buffy, I was sent here to watch Angel."
"To watch Angel?"
"I'm a Kalderash. I'm from the gypsy clan that cursed Angel over a hundred years ago. My people sent me to watch him, to make sure he's still suffering for what he did."
There was a tense moment of silence as Buffy absorbed this information.
"Does Giles know?" She eventually asked.
"Yeah." She answered plainly, her thoughts drifting back to the argument they had last night. "Buffy…"
"Does this make you my enemy?" Buffy asked quickly, almost startling Jenny.
"Of course not." She answered, almost immediately. "Which is why I'm telling you this. I only found this out last night from Giles. The curse on Angel means for him to suffer for what he's done. However, it can be broken if Angel experiences complete happiness. What I'm saying here Buffy is—
"I get it." Buffy interrupted. "Don't sleep with him."
Buffy sighed and propped herself against Jenny's desk, Jenny following in suit.
"I'm sorry." She said.
"Nah, it's okay. Just another fall out for my love life. Anyways, I'm glad you told me before something bad happens."
"Are you gonna be okay?"
"I'll get over it." Buffy said, after a moment of reflection. "How did Giles take it when you told him?"
"I didn't. Somehow he found out. About everything. I didn't even know about the happiness clause of the curse until he brought it up."
"You're saying Giles knew more about what you were protecting then you did?"
Jenny thought for a moment, "Yeah, I guess I am."
Just then, the school bell struck and her classroom soon became littered with kids.
"Meet me in the library at lunch time." Buffy said to Jenny, "We'll see if you can straighten this out then." Jenny nodded as Buffy left.