Summary: Jenny Calendar receives a call from a previous lover.
Disclaimers: The characters are the property of someone else, whose name I cannot recall.

Perfect Manners

After another day at Sunnydale High, Jenny only wanted to rest – and maybe have a bubble bath and a bottle of champagne, too. Working with teenagers on a daily basis was starting to affect her. She pitied Rupert Giles, since he was forced to deal with them at closer range.

But since she wanted her family honored, she had to stay close to Angelus, which meant being close to the slayer, too. And being close to her meant dealing with her friends as well. Willow Rosenberg was fine, most of the time she remained silent and non-obstructive. Alexander Harris, he was a goof, and Cordelia Chase, well, she didn't belong with them. She couldn't understand it really, but it wasn't her place either...

Walking slowly to her door, she heard the distinctive sound of a phone ringing. Upon checking on her watch, she wondered who could be calling her at such hour. Hopefully not another salesman... Quickly fishing the keys from her purse, she hurried to get in, making it to the phone before the fifth ring.

"Hello?" She said, trying to get her breath under control as she plopped down on the couch.

"Not interrupting anything I hope, Jenna..." a female voice said, in that familiar knee-weakening kind of way, making her gasp in surprise.

"Jenny, it's Jenny Calendar now. Remember?" She commented in return, taking her shoes off to massage a sore foot.

"Oh yeah, my mistake then, JENNA..." the voice continued teasingly, followed by sensuous laughter.

"Are you calling for a reason? Technical problems with the database?" The brunette teacher asked, already imagining possible problems and solutions.

"No, it's working fine so far. Bosses are really satisfied with it - marvelous software they say. Such a shame you have your own agenda. I could have found a place for you in the firm..."

"So, if there's no problem with it then you're calling for info. I've already told you all I know, the Watcher is being cautious and Angelus remains souled." She was tired of reporting weekly to her former employers, but that had been the deal. They had helped her finding the ancient vampire, anyways.

"Why do you always have to talk about him or about work?" the woman asked in a whisper. The words pot and kettle suddenly popped in Jenny's head, but she said nothing. It was funny, in a sad way, how their work had brought them together at first.

"Is there anything else besides it?" Jenny bitterly asked, angry with herself for letting the other woman still affect her.

"I can understand your anger. But I still miss you, mostly by nights... Things haven't been the same since you left." The voice assured her, bringing back a flood of memories.

"I don't." Jenny firmly stated, but she was lying. She missed her lover too, missed even breath against her neck, the sound of heels approaching with a cadence. She missed the suits, the incessant cases, the candlelit dinners. But mostly, she missed sleeping in the other woman's arms...

"Bosses say Angelus will lose his soul soon" Continued the voice, a tinge of boredom laced with the words.

"I knew there was a reason for you to call, it's always the same with you...!" Your damn work is more important than I, than us! Jenny bit back the rest of her sentence, they had gone over the same discussion so many times.

"I'm calling because I care, my little Kalderesh girl. They have nothing to do with it, even if they know about us." Us, there was never an us, let alone when that cocky lawyer appeared. You were so eager to please him...

"And your boyfriend?"

"He was not my boyfriend. He's just a big baby, brilliant and evil, but just a baby. You should know better. I don't do lawyers, just techno-pagans." Jenny could never understand why she needed the other woman to say it. And even now, she was unable to explain why the young man irked her so much.

"That's rich coming from you. Are you telling me you never touch yourself?" For an unknown reason, it came out wrong, sounding more like a valid question than sarcasm. The woman's deep laughter still reverberated inside her head, even after it had waned out.

"The kitten has claws, just the way I like it." Jenny couldn't help it anymore, and a smile touched her lips. Kitten had been the pet name the other woman gave her, and she had never complained.

"I'm really tired and if you called for a reason, tell me now so I can go take a bath." She dismissively commented, not willing to let her feelings win over reason.

"There's a prophecy involved. Bosses want you to keep your eyes open, and I want you to take care. As far as I know, evil Angelus is not nice to be around. And... Don't fall for the Watcher, we both know your weakness for all things British."

"I won't. And it's not because they're British, it's because of the manners." She replied softly, remembering how she used to praise her lover because of them. Back then, when they had been together, Jenny had always felt like some fairytale lady.

"Sure, the manners. Mine are perfect, right?"

"Yes..." she admitted. Hers are perfect.

"Anyway, I guess you're tired." The voice stated, and Jenny could imagine the woman pinching the base of her nose or rearranging her hair.

"I am. Thanks for calling." Jenny conceded. Her feet were no longer sore, since she had spent their entire conversation working on them, but exhaustion was taking over the rest of her body.

"Sure... Jenna?" Noting the hesitance in her voice, Jenny knew then why she couldn't forget the other woman just yet. She was addicted to that shy part of hers, the one which would make her blush when they were on bed, the one which still made the woman say her name in a wavering voice...

"Yes?"

"I love you..." Came a soft whisper, followed by long moment of silence.

"Love you too, Lilah." She whispered back, but the silence had already switched to the dial tone.

END