Disclaimer: All of the characters belong to Mutant enemy and Joss Whedon. I own nothing.
The Chance
Jenny frowned thoughtfully at the computer screen, staring at the translation that seemed even more like gibberish with every attempt she made to decipher it. She'd been working on it ever since school had let out for the day, and she didn't seem to be making much progress. Letting out a huff of frustration, she began typing once again.
She was reading over her work once more when a soft, "Hello," came from behind her. Jumping in surprise, she turned to see Rupert standing in the doorway, staring curiously at the monitor.
"Oh, hi," she said breathlessly, quickly turning around and pushing a few keys. The half-finished translation disappeared, and she turned back to the librarian.
"You're working late," he remarked, entering the room. He was still looking at her computer.
"Special project." She deflected the question with a half-truth, and took a deep breath before continuing, "I spoke to Buffy today."
Rupert's eyes lit up, and his attention was immediately drawn away from her "Special Project". He moved a bit closer and sat down at her desk, looking at her eagerly. "Oh, yes?"
Jenny picked up a pencil and began to play with it, not quite meeting his eyes as she replied, "She said you missed me." She let some of her satisfaction creep into her tone, and couldn't help the slightly smug smile that spread across her face.
"Ah, well," he murmured, looking flustered but maybe a little happy, "She is a meddlesome girl." Now it was him who wouldn't look up. This was just like their teasing exchanges in the early days of their relationship; the days before the secrets they had kept had torn them apart.
"Rupert," she started, and he glanced back at her. "Look, I don't want to say anything if I'm wrong, but I may have some news. Now, I need to finish up here, could I… see you later?" She held her breath, knowing that this was the crucial moment. If he agreed, there was a possibility that they could put things right between them. If not…
She shouldn't have worried. "Oh, yes, o-of course," he stammered, "You could stop by my house."
"Okay," she responded, hardly able to contain the flood of relief and hope she felt. She stopped her nervous fingering of the pencil, opting instead to bite her lip, trying to keep from smiling elatedly. He said yes!
He gave her his excited schoolboy grin, looking equally thrilled. "Good." He walked out of the room, still beaming at her over his shoulder.
She watched him until he left, then, allowing herself a small smile, turned back to her computer. But she wasn't really focusing on the translation.
Instead, she was thinking of Rupert. He had come to see her, all by himself. He really did miss her. Probably not as much as she missed him, but he seemed like he was ready to accept her back into his life.
Maybe they had a chance, after all.