Jenny had been here before, but for the time being she had forgotten, and didn't know where she was.

She was surrounded by darkness, lying on a cold stone floor with her hands bound behind her; that she wasn't gagged was merely a sign that it would do no good to scream. She writhed in the darkness, searching blindly for something to help her stand up or to cut her ropes on. She had finally managed to struggle into a sitting position when a door suddenly slammed open.

The light that trickled through the doorway was dim, yet after total darkness Jenny had to squint into it to make out the vampire that was standing there. It approached her purposefully and yanked her to her feet. Silently it led her out of the room and Jenny saw she was in a sparsely furnished mansion. Like the room she had come from, it was cold and stone; its walls were heavy and threatening, and shadows stalked her from every corner.

Now she was in front of another dark doorway. She stepped through it and heard the door close with a soft thud, like a coffin behind her. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness and what she saw made her breath catch in her throat.

"Rupert!" Jenny whispered.

Giles was tied to a chair in the middle of the room, and he looked one step away from death. His face was bruised, and he was breathing with difficulty. When she said his name, he looked up. The sight of her brought a dazed kind of fear to his eyes, as if he was having trouble bringing her into focus.

Jenny didn't notice that someone else was in the room until she heard a voice from the shadows, "Jenny, I'm glad to see you."

She turned her head to see Angelus casually pacing towards her, the temperature seeming to drop as he drew nearer.

"You see, I need to know how to free Acathla," the vampire continued, in a mockingly serious tone, "but unfortunately, Watcher-Boy here doesn't wanna tell me, and the torturing isn't going all that well. It seems he has an annoyingly high tolerance for pain. So, what we're going to find out now is, how high is his tolerance for your pain?"

He stopped in front of Jenny and smiled.

A cold wave of fear washed over her. Jenny knew that Giles would never tell Angel anything, even if her life were at stake. Then she realized that Angel would kill them both anyhow, whether Giles talked or not, and she was filled with a reckless sort of courage. Jenny didn't even think about the fate of the world being at stake, she only wanted to deny Angel whatever it was he wanted from them. She glared at him as he paced slowly around her.

"So… why don't you run?" he asked in the tone of one making a friendly suggestion.

Jenny stood her ground. She wasn't going to play cat and mouse. She wouldn't be bait either, not if she could help it. She would be strong, Giles would be proud of her.

"You're going to kill us both anyways. Why fight it?" Jenny said, trying to sound calm, but a quiver in her voice betrayed her suppressed terror.

Angel smirked. "Ah, you're only half right there, Jenny. Watcher-Boy here," he jerked his head towards Giles, "I'm definitely going to kill. But you…" he stoked her hair, his eyes narrowed and filled with pure hate, "I think I'll keep around for kicks."

He grabbed Jenny by the elbow and threw her against the wall.

Giles made a strangled sort of noise, and Jenny winced in pain. Angel was upon her quickly, pinning her shoulders against the wall. She could smell the odour of death and feel the cold emanating off of him. Her courage seemed to dissipate under the glare of his soulless eyes.

"You know, Jenny," he said through bared teeth, caressing her face with one hand, "I never really got a chance to thank you for restoring my soul…"

Jenny made one last attempt to escape Angel's grip, but he was too strong. He slammed her against the wall again, banging her head, and before she could even cry out in pain, he was sinking his teeth into her neck.

Jenny gasped helplessly in her murderer's arms. She could see Giles over Angel's shoulder; she looked at him desperately as she felt the life being drained from her, but he turned his gaze away, his expression set in cold determination.

She could feel her heart struggling and failing, her breaths becoming shallower as she lost the strength to draw air into her lungs; she felt coldness engulf her as she blacked out…

Then, with a sharp intake of breath, she woke up.

It took Jenny a moment to realize that it had been a dream. She glanced around to reassure herself she really was safe and sound. Everything was as it should be: she was reclining on the cozy couch in her and Giles's living room, a small Christmas tree was glistening besides the fireplace, the book Giles was reading lay open on his chair and she could hear him making tea in the kitchenette.

Jenny's hand absent-mindedly went to her neck and she felt the two small scars that had been there little more than a month. Angel hadn't bitten her, but ever since vampires had attacked her, he did in Jenny's nightmares. It was the only thing that had changed in her reoccurring nightmare of the events of the previous spring. The dream had become less frequent, but was still just as harrowing. Everything – except for the bite – happened just as it did that night…

That night happened late last spring, more than two months after Drusilla had summoned the demon that tore Angel's soul away from him for a second time. The loss of Angel again was a hard blow for them all, but even Buffy was resigned to what seemed to be destiny: that their once valued friend and ally would be their hated enemy. It was pointless to try to restore his soul again as long as Drusilla could continue to call upon the demon.

When they found out that Angel was planning to awaken Acathla and bring the world to an end, however, restoring his soul became key to stopping him. So Jenny, Giles, Willow, Xander and Cordelia gathered in the library to perform the spell, but were ambushed by vampires before they had barely started. Jenny was brought to the mansion for Angel to use in emotionally torturing Giles, incase he didn't find out what he wanted through inflicting physical pain.

Even after all she had been through before, it was easily the most terrifying experience of Jenny's life. She had been so certain she was going to die. Even now, she found it hard to understand how it was she didn't. The difference between her most recent dream and what really happened was that Jenny had been knocked unconscious when Angel shoved her against the wall. She didn't know what happened to her after that. The next thing she remembered was lying on the grass outside, looking up at Giles and Xander's anxious faces.

Giles told her that, seeing her hurt, he had given in, and told Angel how to free Acathla, and it was, ironically, thanks to the intervention of Spike that they weren't both killed immediately. Something about Giles's manner when he told her this made Jenny suspect that he was leaving something out, but she didn't care. She was just thankful that the world didn't end and they were all right.

Now she wished she could just stop dreaming about it; that she could erase it from her mind.

Giles came back from the kitchenette with his mug of tea and smiled to see Jenny awake. "Did you have a good nap?" he asked.

Jenny hesitated. "I dreamed I was cold," she said with a wane smile.

"Really? Maybe it's a portent that we have a white Christmas in store" Giles joked; they had been experiencing an unusually warm December that year. As he looked at Jenny though, his smile faded into an expression of concern. "Are you feeling alright?" he asked, sitting down next to her and lifting a hand to feel her forehead, "You're shivering."

Jenny brushed his hand away. "I'm fine. It's just a spell," she said irritably. "Not the literal kind –"

"I understand. Morning sickness. Or rather, evening…" Giles said awkwardly

"Yeah."

Jenny glanced around, avoiding Giles's concerned gaze. She picked up the guest list from the coffee table that she had been reviewing before her nap and continued to study it.

"Do you think you'll feel alright for the wedding?" Giles asked, still concerned.

"I hope so," Jenny replied, worried. "If not I can always tell my family that it's just nerves. I'm not starting to show yet, am I?" she added, pulling her shirt behind her to make it tighter at the front and glancing down at her tummy.

"No," Giles shook his head. He took a sip of his tea before suggesting hopefully, "But if you're really worried about you're family finding out that you're pregnant, it's not too late for us to elope."

"Of course it is. The wedding is only nine days away. We can't back out of it now." Jenny said matter-of-factly. "We have everything ready. I just have to hear back from my family to find out how many of them are coming."

She flipped a page of the list and continued to scan the densely written names. Giles eyed the list nervously.

"Um, how many did you invite again?" He asked, trying to sound casual.

"Two-hundred-and-sixteen," Jenny replied airily. "Maybe more. I think maybe we should invite all my fourth cousins as well. I don't want anybody to feel snubbed."

"Heaven forbid," Giles said, putting down his mug and glancing at Jenny as though she were slightly mad.

Jenny looked up at Giles and grinned. Making him squirm never failed to put her in a good mood. At the sight of her smile Giles realized she was having him on and breathed a bit easier.

"Stop worrying, Rupert." Jenny said, still smiling. She tossed the guest list back onto the coffee table and snuggled up next to Giles, who put his arm around her as she continued, "Most of my family probably won't even show up. You know forgiving and forgetting isn't big with them, and after letting Angel lose his soul twice, I'm not exactly the favourite daughter of the clan," Jenny tried to sound flippant about her family's opinion of her, but there was an undertone of bitterness in her voice. "Not to mention, marrying an outsider is not generally smiled upon. All in all, they thoroughly disapprove," she concluded lightly.

"So, you're saying that I shouldn't worry, because your family is a vindictive band of gypsies, predisposed to dislike me?" Giles said, half sarcastic, half genuinely concerned, "Yes, I feel much more at ease now. Except that my feet have suddenly and inexplicably frozen solid."

"Don't you dare get cold feet, Rupert, or I'll tell everybody you knocked me up. Then you'd see some gypsy curse work in action," Jenny threatened him teasingly.

"Do you really want to start our marriage with blackmail?"

"If I have to. I'm not letting you get away."

"Don't worry," Giles smiled and kissed Jenny lightly, "I'm not planning on leaving."

"There is a lot to be said for staying right here," Jenny said, snuggling closer.

Just then, however, there was a knocking and Giles rose to his feet.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Jenny asked indignantly.

"To get the door," Giles replied as he crossed the room.

"Let's pretend we're not home," Jenny suggested in a stage whisper as she too left the couch and followed Giles.

Giles smiled over his shoulder at her as he opened the door. His smile vanished, however, when he saw who was standing on the doorstep. It was Angel.