They sat in silence, looking through the books, Rupert trying his best not to tear them. "I've got it!" Jenny's eyes lit up as she looked at him. She stood up and moved over to him, showing him the book, but not letting him touch it. "That's what you are isn't it?" He nodded. "A Fjarl demon. Okay, well at least we know what you are now. What we still don't know is how you became one."
"Auehrjunurjfr. . ."
"Rupert, I can't understand you, remember! Do you know how you became one? Is that what you're trying to tell me?" He nodded his head vigorously. Jenny took a deep breath. "You do. Okay. Okay. Erm, let me think." She started to pace around the room. "You were fine before you left last night to go to the store and pick up some supplies. So whatever happened must have happened after that. Which would have been after eight o'clock." She turned to look at him. "I was exhausted and I must have fallen asleep. So I don't know what time you got in. Do you know what time you got in?" He shook his head.
"Do you think you were gone more than an hour?" He nodded. "Okay. Well, it shouldn't have taken you that long to go to the store, so something must have happened. . ." she stopped and gave a wry smile. "Way to state the obvious, huh? Of course something happened, you turned into a fucking demon! How Rupert? Were you attacked?"
He both shook and nodded his head. "Okay, that doesn't help Rupert." She considered what she knew about becoming a demon, then asked, "Were you bit?" He shook his head. "No you weren't bit. Okay. God! How does one turn into a Fjarl demon? It doesn't say in the damn book." She wrung her hands. "I wish you could tell me what happened. Did you manage to go to the store?" He nodded. "So it was after you went to the store and was on your way home that this happened?" He shook his head. "No. It happened in the store?" He shook his head again. She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Was it someone you met in the store?" He nodded his head yes. "Good. Right. So it was someone you met in the store, and then you went somewhere with them?" He nodded again. "It was a person?" Another nod. "Was it someone you knew?" Another nod. "Someone I know?" Nod. "Someone we trust?" A shake of the head. "Right. Someone we've dealt with before, in Sunnydale?" A nod.
Jenny thought for a moment. "And it's someone who knows us both from Sunnydale. . ." she stopped her musing as he shook his head. "We met them before Sunnydale?" He nodded and then shook his head. "Yes and no?" He nodded. "God! This is like charades! And I never did like that damn game. Okay, is it someone you met before Sunnydale?" He nodded.
It suddenly dawned on Jenny. "Oh shit! Not, Ethan Rayne?" He nodded. "Ethan Rayne did this to you!" Another nod. "So it's a spell then?" He infuriated Jenny by both shaking his head and then nodding again.
"You don't know if it's a spell?" He nodded. "Well, what else could it have been?" He made a motion with his hand, similar to picking a drink up, and then simulated swallowing. Jenny's eyes went wide in annoyance. "You went DRINKING! You went drinking with Ethan Rayne! God! I can't believe you sometimes Rupert. Well, then this is your own damn fault, you stupid idiot." She was seething at his stupidity and at the fact that while she had been at home looking after Meadow, he'd had the audacity to go boozing. "So, while I stay at home looking after OUR daughter, you decide to go off with an evil little shit like Ethan and have a good old drinking session. Nice. Really nice." She folded her arms and glared at him. "Well, I'm half tempted to let you stay that way." He hung his head in guilt.
She sighed and looked over at their sleeping daughter, then back at him. "Okay, so you think Ethan may have slipped something in your drink? Like a potion?" He nodded. "God! Rupert! What were you thinking? What if he's skipped town already?" She looked into his eyes and saw her Rupert there. His eyes looked hurt, scared and pleading. She moved over to him, taking him by surprise when she carefully put her arms around his demon form, cradling his head, trying not to cut herself on the horns. He put his arms instinctively around her. "Er, Rupert, ow! You're hurting." He immediately let go of her and looked horror stricken that he'd hurt her. "Shush! It's okay. I'm fine. Really. It's just you have incredible strength. I'm not hurt, honestly Rupert." He seemed unsure at first and then found his confirmation in her eyes. "I'm gonna make this better Rupert. I'm gonna get you back to yourself. I promise." She gave him a very quick kiss on the head.
"I'm gonna go and get dressed and then find Ethan." She rushed upstairs and into the bathroom, where she washed her lips. Sorry Rupert honey. I love you but, ew, demon you, not a big turn-on.
Dressed, she came back downstairs and checked on Meadow. Picking her up, she said to the little girl, "Okay, sweetie, time to get your daddy back looking like himself again, hmm!" She kissed her daughter softly on the head. "Rupert, now for which pub you went to. The Swan?" He shook his head. "The Red Lion?" A nod. "Okay then, that's where I'll start looking for him." She settled Meadow in her carry-cot and grabbing her purse, headed for the front door. Rupert started to follow.
She turned to face him. "Rupert, you'd better stay here. I'll take Meadow to Mrs. Hill next door and ask her to watch her for me." She saw the look of worry in his eyes. "I'll be fine Rupert."
He held up his hand and indicated to the locked cupboard where his weapons were kept. Understanding what he meant, she unlocked the cupboard, and he pointed to a sword that was inside a long bag. "Okay, I'll take this with me."
Putting the long bag next to the car, she carried Meadow in her carry-cot next door. To her relief, Mrs. Hill was more than happy to mind Meadow for a while. After dropping Meadow off with the old lady next door, Jenny went back to her car and found the Rupert demon crouching behind it. She jumped and let out a startled cry. "Rupert? What the hell are you doing out here? What if someone sees you?"
He indicated for her to open the back car door. "Oh, no. You're not coming with me. It's too risky." When he made a move to undo the car door himself, which would more than likely have resulted in him pulling the door off, Jenny quickly said, "Okay. Okay." She opened the backdoor of the car for him and picked up the travel blanket. "Lie down and put this over you so no one will see."
"Auehrjunurjfr. . ."
"Rupert, I can't understand you, remember! Do you know how you became one? Is that what you're trying to tell me?" He nodded his head vigorously. Jenny took a deep breath. "You do. Okay. Okay. Erm, let me think." She started to pace around the room. "You were fine before you left last night to go to the store and pick up some supplies. So whatever happened must have happened after that. Which would have been after eight o'clock." She turned to look at him. "I was exhausted and I must have fallen asleep. So I don't know what time you got in. Do you know what time you got in?" He shook his head.
"Do you think you were gone more than an hour?" He nodded. "Okay. Well, it shouldn't have taken you that long to go to the store, so something must have happened. . ." she stopped and gave a wry smile. "Way to state the obvious, huh? Of course something happened, you turned into a fucking demon! How Rupert? Were you attacked?"
He both shook and nodded his head. "Okay, that doesn't help Rupert." She considered what she knew about becoming a demon, then asked, "Were you bit?" He shook his head. "No you weren't bit. Okay. God! How does one turn into a Fjarl demon? It doesn't say in the damn book." She wrung her hands. "I wish you could tell me what happened. Did you manage to go to the store?" He nodded. "So it was after you went to the store and was on your way home that this happened?" He shook his head. "No. It happened in the store?" He shook his head again. She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Was it someone you met in the store?" He nodded his head yes. "Good. Right. So it was someone you met in the store, and then you went somewhere with them?" He nodded again. "It was a person?" Another nod. "Was it someone you knew?" Another nod. "Someone I know?" Nod. "Someone we trust?" A shake of the head. "Right. Someone we've dealt with before, in Sunnydale?" A nod.
Jenny thought for a moment. "And it's someone who knows us both from Sunnydale. . ." she stopped her musing as he shook his head. "We met them before Sunnydale?" He nodded and then shook his head. "Yes and no?" He nodded. "God! This is like charades! And I never did like that damn game. Okay, is it someone you met before Sunnydale?" He nodded.
It suddenly dawned on Jenny. "Oh shit! Not, Ethan Rayne?" He nodded. "Ethan Rayne did this to you!" Another nod. "So it's a spell then?" He infuriated Jenny by both shaking his head and then nodding again.
"You don't know if it's a spell?" He nodded. "Well, what else could it have been?" He made a motion with his hand, similar to picking a drink up, and then simulated swallowing. Jenny's eyes went wide in annoyance. "You went DRINKING! You went drinking with Ethan Rayne! God! I can't believe you sometimes Rupert. Well, then this is your own damn fault, you stupid idiot." She was seething at his stupidity and at the fact that while she had been at home looking after Meadow, he'd had the audacity to go boozing. "So, while I stay at home looking after OUR daughter, you decide to go off with an evil little shit like Ethan and have a good old drinking session. Nice. Really nice." She folded her arms and glared at him. "Well, I'm half tempted to let you stay that way." He hung his head in guilt.
She sighed and looked over at their sleeping daughter, then back at him. "Okay, so you think Ethan may have slipped something in your drink? Like a potion?" He nodded. "God! Rupert! What were you thinking? What if he's skipped town already?" She looked into his eyes and saw her Rupert there. His eyes looked hurt, scared and pleading. She moved over to him, taking him by surprise when she carefully put her arms around his demon form, cradling his head, trying not to cut herself on the horns. He put his arms instinctively around her. "Er, Rupert, ow! You're hurting." He immediately let go of her and looked horror stricken that he'd hurt her. "Shush! It's okay. I'm fine. Really. It's just you have incredible strength. I'm not hurt, honestly Rupert." He seemed unsure at first and then found his confirmation in her eyes. "I'm gonna make this better Rupert. I'm gonna get you back to yourself. I promise." She gave him a very quick kiss on the head.
"I'm gonna go and get dressed and then find Ethan." She rushed upstairs and into the bathroom, where she washed her lips. Sorry Rupert honey. I love you but, ew, demon you, not a big turn-on.
Dressed, she came back downstairs and checked on Meadow. Picking her up, she said to the little girl, "Okay, sweetie, time to get your daddy back looking like himself again, hmm!" She kissed her daughter softly on the head. "Rupert, now for which pub you went to. The Swan?" He shook his head. "The Red Lion?" A nod. "Okay then, that's where I'll start looking for him." She settled Meadow in her carry-cot and grabbing her purse, headed for the front door. Rupert started to follow.
She turned to face him. "Rupert, you'd better stay here. I'll take Meadow to Mrs. Hill next door and ask her to watch her for me." She saw the look of worry in his eyes. "I'll be fine Rupert."
He held up his hand and indicated to the locked cupboard where his weapons were kept. Understanding what he meant, she unlocked the cupboard, and he pointed to a sword that was inside a long bag. "Okay, I'll take this with me."
Putting the long bag next to the car, she carried Meadow in her carry-cot next door. To her relief, Mrs. Hill was more than happy to mind Meadow for a while. After dropping Meadow off with the old lady next door, Jenny went back to her car and found the Rupert demon crouching behind it. She jumped and let out a startled cry. "Rupert? What the hell are you doing out here? What if someone sees you?"
He indicated for her to open the back car door. "Oh, no. You're not coming with me. It's too risky." When he made a move to undo the car door himself, which would more than likely have resulted in him pulling the door off, Jenny quickly said, "Okay. Okay." She opened the backdoor of the car for him and picked up the travel blanket. "Lie down and put this over you so no one will see."