A?N: This one's a little long-Sorry!

Jenkins, Eve Baird, Jacob Stone and Ezekiel Jones looked up simultaneously from their respective desks when Cassandra Cillian tripped happily into the workroom. All of them gasped, then gaped as they took in the sight. For almost four years they'd only seen her in miniskirts and shorts; today she wore a gorgeous dress with an all-over floral print of peaches and pinks, long and filmy and floating around her legs with each step like a cloud. She wore strappy pale pink high heels on her delicate feet, and her flaming red hair was carefully dressed and bejeweled. The floral scent of her perfume wafted gently through air behind her. She was the very image of femininity.

Cassandra had been out of the hospital now for several weeks, and she was making an astoundingly rapid recovery from her surgery. Her face no longer had a sickly pallor, her energy seemed boundless, and there was a certain sunniness in her already cheerful disposition that hadn't been there before now. Thanks to Jenkins and his knowledge of spells, her hair had grown back quickly, covering the surgical scar on her scalp.

"Guys, I'm going out for a little while," she announced, going straight to the globe and entering some coordinates. "I'll be back soon!"

"Where're you going?" asked Eve, standing up and snapping herself back into professional Guardian mode.

"Charleston!" The Librarian turned to look at the tall blonde and giggled. "To the spa. I'm going to visit Estrella!"

"Ah." Eve glanced over at the two young men who were snickering softly and elbowing each other's' ribs knowingly. She gave them a warning glare, then flicked her eyes to Jenkins; he sat stone still behind his desk, an unreadable mask on his face as he pretended to read something. But Eve could still see the shock and pain in his deep brown eyes, even from across the room.

"Are you sure that's wise, Cassandra? I mean, did the doctors say that it was okay for you to travel?" Baird babbled, turning her attention back to the redhead. Cassandra was already in front of the Back Door, the doors swinging open to receiver her. Cassandra grinned and bounced excitedly on her toes, waved away her concern.

"I'm fine, Eve, don't worry! It's not like I'm flying there!" she answered. "Besides, like I said, I won't be gone long. If I start to feel bad, I'll come right back again, I promise!"

"But—!" The Librarian disappeared before Eve could say anything more.

"How much you wanna bet she comes back with an even bigger grin on her face than when she left?" Jake called out in a bawdy tone.

"You mean IF she comes back, right?" added Ezekiel, and the two exchanged a high-five.

"How's that research on those ancient Ainu stone carvings coming along?" snapped Eve sharply, whirling on her heel to stare daggers at the pair of Librarians. She gave them another miniscule jerk of her head to indicate Jenkins behind her.

By now everyone knew about the spark between Cassandra and Estrella, the vampire who now ran the Vida de la Luz Spa in Charleston, South Carolina. Jake had provided the information during the mission debriefing while Cassandra was still in the hospital. Everyone also knew how Cassandra felt about Jenkins, it was possibly the worst-kept secret in the Library's history. And while the Caretaker had never said or done anything openly to indicate that he reciprocated her feelings, everyone suspected that he did. Jenkins never outwardly reacted in any way to Jake's disclosure during the debriefing, either, but the old man had been even more quiet and withdrawn than usual ever since. Realizing their gaffe now, Stone and Jones instantly settled down.

"Uh, yeah…it's comin' along fine," growled Jake, ducking his head shamefacedly. Next to him, Ezekiel popped up from his chair and began to gather up an armload of books, papers and folders.

"Yeah, in fact, we need to go to the Asian section to finish things up!" he said hurriedly. He gave Jake an urgent look.

"Yeah, right—the Asian section," the historian echoed. He, too, stood and gathered up an armload of random papers and books and followed on the heels of Jones, the young men beating a hasty retreat before Baird could scold them further, leaving a trail of drifting papers and scrolls in their wake. The Guardian rolled her eyes and turned toward Jenkins; he was busy writing down some notes, studiously pretending that he wasn't paying any attention to what was going on in front of him. Eve knew better.

"Jenkins, I'm sorry about that," she said sympathetically as she walked to stand in front of the Caretaker's high oaken desk. He looked up to meet her gaze, a fake smile of unconcern pasted onto his face.

"I beg your pardon, Colonel?" he replied airily, "Did you say something?" Eve cocked her head and fixed the old man with a stern glare.

"It's just you and me now, Jenkins, so let's cut the crap, okay?" she answered flatly. "You're upset that Cassandra has gone to see Estrella; admit it." Jenkins stiffened visibly and an expression of stone instantly fell over his face. He dipped his pen into the inkpot on his desk and began writing again.

"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about, Colonel," he said coldly, dismissively. Baird calmly reached over the desk and snatched the goose quill pen from between his fingers.

"Colonel Baird!" he snapped, his eyes blazing. Eve met his angry gaze unflinchingly.

"Sir Galahad of Camelot!" she shot back with equal coldness. He wasn't the only one who could use formality to show displeasure! The two friends stared at each other for several tense seconds before Jenkins finally lowered his eyes. He anxiously shuffled some loose papers on his desk, but remained silent.

"Jenkins, I know you're upset about Cassandra," Baird tried again, her tone softer. She made a conscious effort to relax her body in order to make him feel more comfortable. "You don't have to be ashamed of that."

"Again—I have no idea what you're talking about," Jenkins insisted stubbornly, busying himself now with examining the handful of pencils in the cup on his desk, checking each one carefully for sharpness. Eve pressed her lips together for a moment in frustration before continuing.

"Jenkins, it's no secret how you and Cassandra feel about each other," she said plainly, but not unkindly. The immortal's head snapped up and for a split-second his facade cracked just enough to reveal a look of sheer panic.

"Colonel, I can assure you that there has been absolutely nothing inappropriate going on between Miss Cillian and I!" he said with intense, horrified earnestness, the words rushing from his mouth. Eve clenched her jaw tightly to keep from bursting into laughter.

"And why not?" she asked, leaning on the top edge of his desk, her blue eyes burning. Jenkins's jaw fell slack at the simple question and what it implied, his eyes popping wide in shock.

"I beg your pardon?!" he squawked, flustered and completely scandalized. This time Eve did burst into laughter. Jenkins's cheeks turned bright pink and he began to run a distressed hand over his shirtfront.

"I'm sorry, Jenkins! I know this isn't funny in the least for you!" she said, quickly getting herself under control again.

"No, it most definitely is not!" he huffed, but he was slightly mollified by the apology. "Nor do I like being the subject of gossip around the proverbial water-cooler, either!"

"It's not like that, Jenkins," protested Eve. "We're concerned. For both of you. We all know that Cassandra's crazy about you; she has been ever since she got here. And you can't hide the fact that you have feelings for her, too."

"What I feel is irrelevant!" the Caretaker said stiffly, "And apparently the same is true for Cassandra, based on what I've heard since your return from Charleston." He winced inwardly at the childish, petulant sound of his words, but it was too late to take them back. Eve pounced on the slip.

"So you do have feelings for her!" she crowed. Jenkins fidgeted on his stool and rolled his shoulders, his eyes fixed on the notebook on his desktop.

"What I feel or don't feel is irrelevant," he repeated. "Cassandra has…chosen another." Despite his stony expression the immortal's eyes were bleak, and Eve swore she could see tears beginning to form.

"Jenkins…I'm so sorry—" she began, started to reach out to him, but he suddenly stood up.

"If you'll excuse me, Colonel, I really do have a great deal of work to do today," he said, brusquely cutting her off. Without waiting for an acknowledgement, Jenkins rounded his desk and strode past her, then disappeared into the corridor leading to his laboratory.

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Cassandra has chosen another.

The words reverberated through his mind, mocking him as the old immortal retreated to the comforting, familiar surroundings of his lab. He dropped heavily onto a stool at the nearest workbench and sighed miserably.

She chose another.

First Charlene, now Cassandra. There had been a handful of others in between, but each had ended the same. Nearly all had chosen someone else, and in each case he had only himself to blame. He had waited too long, been too hesitant, spent too much time weighing the pros and the cons of each relationship until it was too late. Each woman had grown tired of waiting on him and had chosen another. Now the same had happened with Cassandra.

No, not quite the same, he realized. He had panicked and rejected her outright when she'd asked him out of the blue on a date, so of course she'd found another, someone who gladly returned her interest and affection. He had told her himself that she should find another, and so she had. Now, too late, he realized his mistake; he might just as well have cut his heart out with his own hands.

With a weary, bone-deep sigh, Jenkins pulled himself upright and raised his head.

"Too late for regrets now, Jenkins," he murmured quietly, wrapping himself in the well-worn cloak of stoic resignation and self-recrimination. "You had your chance and you let it slip away; you deserve to be alone."

"Jenkins?"

The immortal spun around on the stool, his eyes flying wide in surprise at the sight of Cassandra standing in the doorway, a look of uncertainty on her smooth face. His heart immediately began to pound within his breast.

"Cassandra!" he exclaimed, feeling dizzy and flustered, elated and disconcerted at the same. "I… But… I thought…" Thoughts flew wildly through his mind like mis-aimed arrows and he couldn't form a single coherent sentence. Cassandra smiled and stepped into the lab.

"That I'd gone to live happily ever after with Estrella in South Carolina?" she finished for him, her tone wry as she gave him a sly, knowing look. The old man's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"I see that a certain Guardian has already been busy spreading fresh water-cooler gossip," he answered dourly, feeling like a complete fool.

"Oh, no, Jenkins—don't be angry!" Cassandra said, hurrying across the room, her pretty face worried now. "She was just trying to help! Besides, she didn't give me any details, really; all she said was that you were upset to see me leave and that I should come and talk to you!" He looked down at her, doubtful.

"And the 'happily ever after' part?" he asked stiffly. Cassandra smiled at him and tilted her head.

"I figured that out on my own, as I was walking to the lab to find you," she said. She reached out to lay her hand on his forearm. "Why would you think I'd gone to live with Estrella?" The immortal's eyes swept her from head to toe, taking in her delicate beauty. He became aware of her perfume, sweet and almost cloying in his nostrils, mixing with her skin's natural scent to make him dizzy.

"You've never worn a dress before," he answered, his tone almost accusatory. He was unable to look her in the eyes, and so he looked off to the side, stared at the stained and pitted concrete floor of the lab.

"So-o-o-o…because I'm wearing a dress today, that means I'm going off to live with a Spanish vampire at her New Age health spa in Charleston, South Carolina for the rest of my life?" Cassandra's face screwed up slightly in a silent rebuke as she spoke; hearing her verbalize the idea out loud made Jenkins feel even more foolish.

"There's a bit more to it than that," he said peevishly, still unable to look her in the face as he shifted uncomfortably on the stool. Why was she back here, anyway?

"Like what?"

"Like, I rejected your offer of a date—I rejected you. But Estrella did not reject you, if Mr. Stone is to be believed. She embraced you, she wanted you to stay with her!" he finally blurted, pain causing the words to come out more harshly than he meant them to. He forced his head up to look into her wide blue eyes. "According the Jacob, she is more than willing to take my place in your affections."

"Jenkins!" The Librarian gaped at the old man, startled by his sudden vehemence.

"And I know all about her offer to turn you into a vampire, too, to make you immortal!" he went on, oblivious. "Flynn went to inform her about you after your surgery. She told him all about it!"

Cassandra, stunned, could only blink at him owlishly for a few moments as she tried to absorb what he was saying to her. Eventually her head tilted to one side, the look of confusion on her face melting into one of exasperated disbelief. She huffed a short, quiet breath as she crossed her arms over her chest and shifted her weight onto one foot.

"Actually, Jenkins—I wore the dress for myself!" Now it was his turn to blink in baffled silence.

"What?" he finally said, more than a little bewildered. "I— I don't understand…" The Librarian's head and weight shifted to the opposite side of her body.

"No shit, Sherlock!" she muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes. She pressed her lips together for a moment as she steadily met his gaze for a few seconds, and then she relaxed.

"I wore this dress today because I simply felt like it," she explained. She shook her head at the confused look still on his face. "For the first time in my life, Jenkins, I don't have to wake up anymore and have my first thought be 'Am I going to die today? Is today the day the tumor finally wins?' You have no idea how freeing that is, Jenkins! You have no idea what's it's like to have a death sentence hanging over you day in and day out, how it crushes you down more and more and more each day and how hard you have to fight not to just give in to it and let it crush you! You have no idea, Mr. Immortal Knight!—no idea at all!" She hadn't meant to become so angry, but now that she was, she gave it full reign.

"I feel like I've stepped out a grave! I have this whole new life in front of me now, I'm free! And I wanted to wear something today that expressed how I feel inside now! So I chose to wear this dress—not for Estrella, not for you, not for anyone else; I wore it for me!" She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the immortal. "I went to Charleston today to thank Estrella for her support and for everything she's done for me and to say goodbye to her and that's all and how dare you suddenly get all jealous and possessive like this after all these years!," she finished sharply, uncrossing her arms and wildly waving her hands to express her aggravation. Jenkins stared silently for several seconds after she'd finished dressing him down.

"You're staying with the Library, then?" he finally asked; he could barely hear his own voice over throbbing of his blood in his ears. Cassandra's head fell back and she groaned loudly in frustration.

"Really?! Is that all you heard me say?!" she yelled. Honestly, there were times when she could just strangle him with her bare hands! Jenkins hurried to raise his hands slightly in surrender and shook his head, silently cursing his stupidity and stung by her accusations.

"No, no—I heard everything you said, Cassandra," he said. He lowered his hands and made himself look into her icy eyes. "I'm sorry, Cassandra, I didn't mean to make light of anything. But...I do know something about that feeling of which you speak. Or I did, once."

"Oh, really?" she said, her voice dripping with cynicism. Jenkins adjusted his seat on the stool.

"I was mortal once, you know," he answered, a slight note of defensiveness in his voice. "Between war, disease, famine and the like, there was a time where one never knew when Death would come to claim one's life." His words only made the Librarian angrier.

"It's not a contest, Jenkins!" she spat, her patience at an end. He raised his hands again and nodded in agreement before she had even finished her sentence.

"No, no—you're right; it's not; I apologize," he acquiesced meekly. Satisfied, Cassandra chewed on her lower lip for a moment. She decided to let that particular matter drop for now.

"I refused Estrella's offer because this is my home now," she said instead, calmer now. She loosely waved her hands around the room. "My family, my loved ones, they're all here now." She stepped forward, lightly laid her hand on his chest, right over his thudding heart, gazing into his dark eyes the entire time, all trace of her anger gone now.

"That includes you." Jenkins's entire body felt numb at her touch; for a moment he thought he feared that he might actually faint.

A shaky, rasping "I see" was all he could make himself say. Cassandra pulled up a second stool and sat down in front of him. When she was conformable, she reached out and took one of his large, rough hands between her two small ones. His skin was cool and dry, and she was thrilled by the strength she could feel in his muscles and sinews of his fingers.

"Look, when I asked you out the other day—I know it just kind of came out of nowhere for you and I know it must've really freaked you out," she said, her eyes fixed on their joined hands. "I'm really sorry for that…"

"You have nothing to apologize for," Jenkins murmured. Cassandra squeezed his hand gently.

"Yes, I do," she insisted, raising her head to look at him. "It was unfair of me to put you on the spot like that. It's just that—you're immortal. You've lived so much of life and still so much life left, and I was going to die soon and I just wanted to be with all of that life, all of that energy." She dropped her eyes for a moment to stare at the floor between them.

"I just wanted to be with you. You're so strong and steady and brave. Part of me thought, I guess, that…maybe you could protect me from what was coming or maybe even save me from it, I don't know." Cassandra raised her eyes to his again and tilted her head slightly, a small, grim smile coming to her lips as she shrugged.

"Anyway, it was stupid and wrong and I'm sorry for doing that to you, Jenkins." All he could do was stare back for a moment, his head swimming.

"Cassandra, I— I—" He could think of nothing to say in response to her confession, could only shake his head; surely he wasn't understanding correctly what she had just said. The Librarian, to his surprise, laughed softly.

"What, no cutting words of wisdom from the King of Snark?" she teased. Her face suddenly became serious again. "Look, Jenkins—I want to say something else to you, something that might freak you out but I just have to get it off of my chest." She waited for him to say something, but no words would come to him, so he merely nodded.

"I wasn't exaggerating when I said that everyone here is my family and I want to stay with them, and I didn't want to be with you only because of your immortality," she began slowly, tentatively, her eyes watching for the slightest sign of reaction on his face. "I'm also staying here because…over the last few years I've felt something between us." She saw his eyes widen ever so slightly, felt his entire body stiffen, but still he said nothing, only continued to stare back at her. Cassandra took a deep breath and plowed on.

"Maybe it hasn't completely crossed the line into 'romance' yet, but it's definitely something more than just 'close professional colleagues' or 'just friends'," she said hurriedly, before she lost her nerve or before he could bolt from the room in terror—a distinct possibility, judging from the look on his pale face right now. "You know how I feel about you, Jenkins, and to be honest…I think you have the same feelings for me, but you're just not ready to accept them yet and that's okay." She squeezed his hand between hers with gentle urgency.

"I'm staying here because I've decided to wait for you," she finished. Jenkins continued to gawk at her for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, he looked down at their hands and was surprised to see that his hand was now clutching one of hers. He made himself loosen his grasp, but he couldn't bring himself to totally break contact with her. He wanted to tell her that he did feel the same way about her, wanted to sweep her up into his arms and hold her as though there was no tomorrow. But he didn't. Gods help him, he couldn't.

"Don't waste your new life on me, Cassandra," he heard himself croak, the words forced from his throat, his mind screaming for him to take the words back at once, now, before he lost her again. "As you said, you have so much to live for now—a whole world to explore, a lifetime's worth of new people to meet, to…fall in love with…" His voice caught and cracked, and he took a moment to regain control of himself.

No, he firmly told himself, you can't take these words back; this is for her own good! When he was ready to speak again he looked into her clear blue eyes, so full of life and light now.

"Don't waste your new life waiting for me; what you hope for may never come," he reiterated. "You can do so much better than me." Cassandra drew in a deep breath; she'd expected this, this noble knightly self-sacrifice crap, and she was ready for it. She set her jaw and tightly gripped his hands, her eyes sparkling with determination.

"I know you might find this hard to believe, Jenkins," she said, "But I think you're perfect, and I think you're someone who's worth waiting for." She slid off of her stool and leaned in to softly kiss his cheek, raising her hand to stroke the spot she'd just kissed. "And the reason I think that is because you've been nothing but kind and caring and supportive of me right from the beginning—even after I betrayed the Library to Dulaque and Lamia. You're a good man, Jenkins, and something tells me that you're going to realize that about yourself one day, too, and I want to be here when it happens. And there's nothing you can say or do to make me change my mind about that."

Cassandra let go of his hand and turned, started walking towards the door. He watched her go, too stunned by what had just happened to even think. Would she really wait for him? This beautiful, fiery, intelligent, utterly enchanting young woman—would she truly wait for him? Scenes from the past three years flashed through his mind unbidden: The quick touches exchanged; the kiss she gave his cheek every morning in greeting; the jokes and gentle teasing as they worked side by side; the personal stories and secrets they shared with each other and no one else, how much younger he felt when he was around her, how lighter his heart felt. Somewhere in all of that, she'd found something in him that she felt was worth waiting for—worth fighting for, even—something that redeemed him in her eyes despite his centuries' worth of pain, bitterness and damage. And now, even after he'd stupidly turned her away, she was giving him one more chance.

But I pledged my heart to another! he reminded himself, none too gently. I swore an oath!

A woman like this will not give you a third chance, a voice from deep within his soul warned him with equal ferocity. Your oath means nothing, your love is wasted on Charlene; remember how she refused your pledge! If you let Cassandra get away this time, then you truly are a fool, Jenkins, and you are truly unworthy of such a woman!

Just as she was about to pass though the doorway, he came to his senses and hopped up from his stool, nearly knocking it over.

"Wait!" he called out, and she stopped, turned around to see what he wanted. Jenkins squirmed nervously as he again ran his hand over the front of his suit.

"I...know it's far too late to change my mind about your offer of a dinner and a movie," he began, feeling painfully self-conscious and clumsy. "But…perhaps...I can make it up to you with a picnic lunch instead? Today? This afternoon?" He glanced up to gauge her reaction, but instantly dropped his eyes again, too afraid of seeing rejection in her eyes.

"I mean, after all, it would be a shame for such a lovely outfit to go unseen by as many people as possible, don't you think?" He cringed inwardly at the blatant, ham-fisted bit of flattery. When he finally dared to look up again, he saw a gentle smile on her face, but there was sadness in her eyes.

"A picnic would be lovely," she answered gracefully. There was a pause before she continued, her soft voice resigned. "But only as friends, I'm guessing, right?" Jenkins dropped his gaze, overwhelmed with shame at his cowardice, of the pain he'd put her through over the last few years. He took a deep, bracing breath before raising his head again to look her squarely in the eyes.

"No," he said. Cassandra blinked.

"No?"

"No," he repeated. He clasped his hands in front of his body and made himself maintain eye contact with her.

"As you say, we are more than friends now," he answered in a strong voice. The spark of hope in her eyes sent his heart soaring. He went to her and took one of her hands, lightly held it as he continued to speak. "And while we have not crossed the line into romance…I think that we can begin again right where we are now and see where things go from here. That is, if you're open to that."

"Are you open to that?" she questioned him with a pointed look. "Because it will probably go someplace you're not going to be comfortable with, you know." Jenkins nodded.

"I know," he said sincerely, "But...I am open to going there." He raised her hand and lightly brushed her knuckles with his lips. "You've been very patient with me so far, and I appreciate that very much. All I ask is that you be patient with me for a little while longer; it's been rather a long time since I've done anything like this and I'm more than a little out of practice, I'm afraid."

Cassandra's eyes shone with happiness, and he was certain his heart would burst with joy and a pride for being the cause of that happiness. She moved quickly to slip her arms around the immortal, holding him tightly as she laid her face on his chest. She could feel his heart beating against her cheek. She somehow knew that it was beating for her, and she nearly burst into tears. Eventually she felt his long, strong arms as they shyly wrapped themselves around her slight body to hold her against himself.

"I meant what I said, Jenkins—I think you're worth waiting for!" she murmured fiercely. He tightened his arms around her and sighed quietly into her fragrant red hair.

"I hope so," he whispered.

"I know so!" she said, and held him tighter.

The pair fell silent then, each taking comfort from the warmth of each other's body against their own. Both felt a shiver of trepidation, but both were also eager to see where this new path was going to take them.