The flames started to get closer and closer to Jenny's feet. Jenny started to break out in a cold sweat as she realised that it wouldn't be that long before she was on fire. She struggled desperately against the bonds that were holding her. It was useless, she knew that. If Buffy couldn't free herself, what chance did she have! Nevertheless, she had to try. All of her struggling was fruitless. It just caused the ropes to cut into her wrists, causing her more pain.
Jenny was close to tears of frustration when the door opened and Giles and Cordelia entered the room. Jenny's spirit lifted at the sight of him.
Giles gasped as he saw Jenny bound to the stake with the flames leaping dangerously close to her. Acting quickly, he indicated for Cordeila to smash the glass and retrieve the water-hose from the wall. While she did that, he started to do the spell that would reveal the true appearance of the demon that was behind all of this. Cordelia pointed the hose at the mob and blasted them with water.
"Buffy I'm on fire!" Willow screamed.
"Cordelia put out the fire!" Buffy yelled. At Buffy's plea, Cordelia turned the water on the fire, putting it out before Willow and the others were seriously hurt. Meanwhile, Giles finished the spell. Before their eyes, the two children moulded together to form into a huge demon. Seeing the true form of the demon, all the mob ran off out of the room.
The demon turned to towards Buffy, Jenny and Willow. Not being able to get the ropes to break, Buffy put all of her strength into trying to break the large wooden stake, so that hopefully she would at least be able to move. It worked. The demon came towards her and she leaned forward, thrusting the jagged top of the stake through the demon. "Did I get it?"
Jenny cringed and closed her eyes. "Yeah, you got it." Her eyes flew open again as part of the ceiling fell down in front of her. Lying on the floor at her feet were Oz and Xander. They looked up at her. Oz stated in his matter of fact way, "We're hear to save you."
"Good timing guys, could you be any later?" Cordelia chastised.
The mob now gone, Rupert rushed over to Jenny and started to undo the ropes that bound her. "Are you okay Jenny?"
"Yeah, considering I was almost burned at the stake," she quipped.
Meanwhile, Xander undid Buffy's ropes, while Oz undid Willow's. Buffy looked over at Willow concerned. "You okay Will? Did you get burnt?"
"No, I'm okay. It just singed my pants is all."
Bonds untied, Rupert lifted Jenny off the books and away from the attempted bonfire. Placing her on her feet, he took his jacket off and placed it around her wet shoulders. He looked her over, making sure she was okay. Tenderly, his hand went to the bruise forming on her cheek. "Who did this?"
"One of the men who grabbed you. I tried to pull them off you and one of them hit me, next thing I knew I woke up here."
"Oh Jenny!" Rupert pulled her into an embrace. She clung to him, relieved the horror was over.
Pulling back a little, she looked up at him. "Are you okay? What did they do to you?"
"I'm fine." He kissed the top of her head. "They just knocked me out, that's all, but I'm okay."
"That's all! That's all! How can you say that? I can't believe you sometimes!" Jenny shook her head at him, and then pulled him close to her again, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Is everybody all right?" Rupert asked, looking at them all.
"Yeah, we're all okay," Buffy answered for them. "Well, except maybe for Amy!" She pointed to the nearby rat.
Giles' eyes widened. "Oh please tell me she didn't!"
"Okay, then I won't," Buffy quipped.
Giles sighed deeply and turned to the only person not currently helping someone, Cordelia. "Cordelia, would you er, collect er, the Amy rat please?"
Cordelia looked at him as if he was crazy. "What? No way. I'm not picking a rat up." Everyone rolled their eyes.
"I'll do it," Buffy said and started to try and coax Amy to her, so she could pick her up.
"You know, that was really brave of you Ms. Calendar, to try to persuade them to only burn you," Willow said. She went over to the older woman and gave her a hug. "Thanks for trying."
Giles looked at Jenny and smiled proudly at her. "Come on, let's get you all home before you catch cold." He put his arm around Jenny and led her out of the room.
When they were in his car and alone, Jenny turned to Giles, "Rupert, would it be okay if I stayed with you tonight? I. . .I don't want to be alone."
He smiled over at her. "Of course." They drove to Giles' apartment in content silence. Inside his apartment, he handed Jenny some towels and a shirt of his and she went into his bathroom and took a shower. He poured each of them a glass of brandy and started to take cups and saucers out for tea, while he waited for her. Then he went upstairs and got changed into his pyjamas.
When she came out of the shower, hair towel dried and wearing his shirt, he was downstairs waiting for her and handed her the glass with brandy in it. "Thanks." She smiled at him.
They both moved to the sofa and sat down beside each other. Jenny sipped the brandy and welcomed it's warmth soothing her insides. "How are you feeling?" Rupert asked her.
"I'm okay, really, Rupert." She moved closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. He placed his arm around her and kissing the top of her head, he rested his chin there. They sat there, together, in silence while they sipped their brandy, just content to be close to each other.
After their brandy was finished, Rupert broke the silence. "Would you like some tea?"
Jenny shook her head. "I think I just want to go to sleep. I feel drained."
"I'm not surprised after that experience. Come on then!" He stood and helped her to her feet. He put his arm around her and she leaned against him as he led her upstairs.
As he pulled the covers back, she asked, "Do you think I'll get my job back?"
He looked over at her and said confidently, "I'm sure of it. Snyder will more than likely have amnesia about firing you after this evening." Covers pulled back, they both climbed into bed.
Jenny snuggled up to Rupert and he pulled the covers around her. She gave him a goodnight kiss on the lips and then rested her head in the crook of his shoulder, her hand on his chest. Rupert placed his hand on her hip, his other hand was already around her shoulders. He waited until he was sure she was fast asleep, before closing his own eyes and drifting off to sleep.
Jenny was close to tears of frustration when the door opened and Giles and Cordelia entered the room. Jenny's spirit lifted at the sight of him.
Giles gasped as he saw Jenny bound to the stake with the flames leaping dangerously close to her. Acting quickly, he indicated for Cordeila to smash the glass and retrieve the water-hose from the wall. While she did that, he started to do the spell that would reveal the true appearance of the demon that was behind all of this. Cordelia pointed the hose at the mob and blasted them with water.
"Buffy I'm on fire!" Willow screamed.
"Cordelia put out the fire!" Buffy yelled. At Buffy's plea, Cordelia turned the water on the fire, putting it out before Willow and the others were seriously hurt. Meanwhile, Giles finished the spell. Before their eyes, the two children moulded together to form into a huge demon. Seeing the true form of the demon, all the mob ran off out of the room.
The demon turned to towards Buffy, Jenny and Willow. Not being able to get the ropes to break, Buffy put all of her strength into trying to break the large wooden stake, so that hopefully she would at least be able to move. It worked. The demon came towards her and she leaned forward, thrusting the jagged top of the stake through the demon. "Did I get it?"
Jenny cringed and closed her eyes. "Yeah, you got it." Her eyes flew open again as part of the ceiling fell down in front of her. Lying on the floor at her feet were Oz and Xander. They looked up at her. Oz stated in his matter of fact way, "We're hear to save you."
"Good timing guys, could you be any later?" Cordelia chastised.
The mob now gone, Rupert rushed over to Jenny and started to undo the ropes that bound her. "Are you okay Jenny?"
"Yeah, considering I was almost burned at the stake," she quipped.
Meanwhile, Xander undid Buffy's ropes, while Oz undid Willow's. Buffy looked over at Willow concerned. "You okay Will? Did you get burnt?"
"No, I'm okay. It just singed my pants is all."
Bonds untied, Rupert lifted Jenny off the books and away from the attempted bonfire. Placing her on her feet, he took his jacket off and placed it around her wet shoulders. He looked her over, making sure she was okay. Tenderly, his hand went to the bruise forming on her cheek. "Who did this?"
"One of the men who grabbed you. I tried to pull them off you and one of them hit me, next thing I knew I woke up here."
"Oh Jenny!" Rupert pulled her into an embrace. She clung to him, relieved the horror was over.
Pulling back a little, she looked up at him. "Are you okay? What did they do to you?"
"I'm fine." He kissed the top of her head. "They just knocked me out, that's all, but I'm okay."
"That's all! That's all! How can you say that? I can't believe you sometimes!" Jenny shook her head at him, and then pulled him close to her again, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Is everybody all right?" Rupert asked, looking at them all.
"Yeah, we're all okay," Buffy answered for them. "Well, except maybe for Amy!" She pointed to the nearby rat.
Giles' eyes widened. "Oh please tell me she didn't!"
"Okay, then I won't," Buffy quipped.
Giles sighed deeply and turned to the only person not currently helping someone, Cordelia. "Cordelia, would you er, collect er, the Amy rat please?"
Cordelia looked at him as if he was crazy. "What? No way. I'm not picking a rat up." Everyone rolled their eyes.
"I'll do it," Buffy said and started to try and coax Amy to her, so she could pick her up.
"You know, that was really brave of you Ms. Calendar, to try to persuade them to only burn you," Willow said. She went over to the older woman and gave her a hug. "Thanks for trying."
Giles looked at Jenny and smiled proudly at her. "Come on, let's get you all home before you catch cold." He put his arm around Jenny and led her out of the room.
When they were in his car and alone, Jenny turned to Giles, "Rupert, would it be okay if I stayed with you tonight? I. . .I don't want to be alone."
He smiled over at her. "Of course." They drove to Giles' apartment in content silence. Inside his apartment, he handed Jenny some towels and a shirt of his and she went into his bathroom and took a shower. He poured each of them a glass of brandy and started to take cups and saucers out for tea, while he waited for her. Then he went upstairs and got changed into his pyjamas.
When she came out of the shower, hair towel dried and wearing his shirt, he was downstairs waiting for her and handed her the glass with brandy in it. "Thanks." She smiled at him.
They both moved to the sofa and sat down beside each other. Jenny sipped the brandy and welcomed it's warmth soothing her insides. "How are you feeling?" Rupert asked her.
"I'm okay, really, Rupert." She moved closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. He placed his arm around her and kissing the top of her head, he rested his chin there. They sat there, together, in silence while they sipped their brandy, just content to be close to each other.
After their brandy was finished, Rupert broke the silence. "Would you like some tea?"
Jenny shook her head. "I think I just want to go to sleep. I feel drained."
"I'm not surprised after that experience. Come on then!" He stood and helped her to her feet. He put his arm around her and she leaned against him as he led her upstairs.
As he pulled the covers back, she asked, "Do you think I'll get my job back?"
He looked over at her and said confidently, "I'm sure of it. Snyder will more than likely have amnesia about firing you after this evening." Covers pulled back, they both climbed into bed.
Jenny snuggled up to Rupert and he pulled the covers around her. She gave him a goodnight kiss on the lips and then rested her head in the crook of his shoulder, her hand on his chest. Rupert placed his hand on her hip, his other hand was already around her shoulders. He waited until he was sure she was fast asleep, before closing his own eyes and drifting off to sleep.