Chapter 1
Author : pixel
Summary: answer to a challenge requesting some Xander/Jenny stories
Rated: R mostly, but maybe some NC-17 later depends how it goes
Ship: jenny/xander
Spoilers up to bewitched bothered and bewildered then mostly AU after that
Disclaimer: I own nothing, claim nothing just borrowing for a while
Authors Notes 1: Ok this first chap is kind of all back story but I needed to establish how Jenny felt about everyone and what had happened up 'til now stick with it I promise actual plot soon.
Authors Notes 2: Please make an author happy and review
Jenny Calendar stood in the corridor just outside Sunnydale High's library and began to wonder just what the hell she'd ever seen in that uptight Brit Rupert Giles.
She'd accepted his initial shock and anger; at discovering her true reasons for settling on the Hellmouth and concealing her identity from him; but she had expected him to understand that it had just not been possible for her to betray her duty and her people.
Instead he had turned from her completely and though she knew in her heart that he wanted her; and was even beginning to love her; he'd allowed his slayer to make his decisions for him. It wasn't right! From all she'd heard and read Watchers were supposed to guide and train their Slayers but Rupert was allowing this one to dictate to him.
At a time when Angelus was still terrorising the town and endangering everyone Janna Kalderesh could have been a powerful ally in the battle to protect the innocent instead she was being ordered to stay away from them all. Rupert was going to allow these children to fight on but she was supposed to stand aside. Trying to push her anger and frustration away; before she stormed back into the library and confronted Rupert about his blind stupidity; Jenny's mind began to dwell instead on the young people who had joined the Slayer in her fight.
Daniel Osbourne was still mostly a bystander to the group and despite his willingness to fight with them so far; he was probably only there because of his feelings for Willow. Without her he would almost certainly drift quietly away from them especially since that becoming a werewolf his natural instincts would urge him to stay as far from the slayer as possible. He would sense Buffy as a threat to him.
Willow Rosenberg The shy, quietly beautiful girl whose brilliant mind and gentle spirit drew those around her to want to protect Willow not only from the dangers of Sunnydale's unusual nightlife but from any in the world who would hurt her. Jenny had sensed in Willow a raw magical talent that could; with the help of the right teachings; turn the girl into a powerful Wicca. Jenny had ached to be that teacher but had been forced to hold back lest she betray her position as Angelus keeper. Now Willow would not even look at her she'd allowed Buffy to dominate her world and would not turn against her friend.
Cordelia Chase was a contradiction in truth Jenny had little time for the self-absorbed cheerleader. She may have shown that she was willing to brave the dangers that surrounded the town and help out from time to time but Jenny suspected that self-interest played a part in this Cordelia felt that she was safer with the Slayer watching her back then she was trying to survive in Sunnydale alone. Emotionally she was still Queen C caring more about her social standing and how she appeared to others then she did about anything that truly mattered. Her treatment of Xander only confirmed this first she'd hidden their relationship because she was ashamed of him then when it had all finally come into the open she had broken the relationship off in a way that was sure to humiliate the young man as much as possible. She was sure the young man was going to remember that Valentine's Day for a long time.
Turning her thoughts to the final slayerette Jenny felt herself begin to calm down; this young man seemed to have an inherent ability to bring joy and peace to those around him. Until recently she'd seen him merely as a sweet child; slightly immature for his age, not too bright and easily led by his friends. Whilst she'd understood his friendship with Willow and the fierce loyalty he showed his friends she didn't know why he; above all of them; fought so hard against the demons and vampires. Nor why Rupert allowed an untrained boy to place himself in so much danger by fighting at the Slayers side.
She first realised how badly she might have misjudged Xander the night the Hellmouth opened and Buffy had been destined to die. This child had refused to accept the fates' decision and; overcoming his fears and mistrust; had confronted Angelus and shamed the vampire into helping the girl the vampire claimed to love.
Xander had truly come into his own however on the night Angelus had been freed. Thinking back to that awful moment Jenny remembered rushing to warn Rupert and the others what had happened. Right then she had cared little about them finding out who she was she had just wanted them to be safe. On her way to the library in the darkened school she had seen Willow and Xander standing close to Angelus. Even now it filled her with horror how close both children had been to dying that night. As she'd tried to get them away from the vampire Xander had been the only one to realise what she had been trying to tell them that Angel was gone and a monster stood in his place. Cross in hand he'd attacked Angelus' blind side and shocked the vampire into releasing Willow.
Later that night; whilst the Slayer grieved and fell apart and the supposedly unflappable Watcher had succumbed to blind panic; it had been Xander who had come quickly to terms with the implications of Angelus being loose. Xander, who had come up with a plan to stop the Judge and Xander who had held them all together and kept them safe the bumbling child had been replaced by a determined warrior, who had inspired them all. The day should have ended with Angelus a pile of ashes on the floor of the mall but Buffy had been too weak to do her job and the monster had been allowed to slip away.
Over the following days Buffy had fallen into a worsening depression and instead of forcing her to face up to her responsibilities; and sending her to hunt for and destroy Angelus; Rupert was allowing her to ignore her duty as the Chosen One. Whilst the Slayer was whining about her lost love the man in question was taking over Sunnydale's demonic community and murdering her classmates.
Rupert had to be made to see that the situation could not continue her people had intended for Angelus to suffer for his crimes against them, but despite what her Uncle had claimed most were sickened by the breaking of the curse. They had no wish for yet more families to have to grieve as they had for their lost daughter.
Right now however Rupert seemed more interested in yelling at Xander for the botched love spell the boy had used to try and win Cordelia back. Though Jenny did not believe Cordelia was worthy of the trouble she thought Rupert was being unnecessarily harsh. Xander had little knowledge of the mystical world and no idea that the spell would backfire so spectacularly. Ok it had been disturbing ( or more honestly downright freaky ) to remember that she'd wanted to rip Xander's clothes off right there in the library and had been prepared to fight the young Wiccan Amy for him but in the end no actual harm had come to anyone and the female population of Sunnydale was busy repressing all their memories of strange behaviour. More to disturbing to her had been the feeling of familiarity when she had touched Xander he had felt like someone she knew well and from deep inside him she could sense a power similar to her own gypsy magic. Rupert had practically accused Xander of deliberately endangering Buffy when the boy had crept quietly into the library to apologise this morning. The Watcher had gone on to harangue Xander at length telling the boy he was reckless, stupid and generally destroying what little self-cofidence and pride Xander had left after Cordelia's public humiliation at the dance.
Jenny had no idea Rupert could be so cruel not to mention hypocritical, in his own youth he had done so much worse. Or had he really forgotten that she had nearly died when Ethan Rayne had brought Eyghon back into his life. How had she misjudged Rupert so badly, had her time away from her people really clouded her perception so much? With that thought Jenny was right back where she'd started standing in the hallway wanting to tear Rupert Giles into little itty-bitty pieces.
Realising that the voices from within the library had grown silent and thinking that both Rupert and Xander must have left by the other doors Jenny slipped inside and sat down at a table. Resting her head in her hands she let out a deep sigh of sorrow and set to thinking about how she could try to fix the mess her life had become.
"It wasn't your fault you know and it's not your job to fix all this."
The voice drifted across the library and raising her head Jenny saw Xander sitting on the steps.
tbc