Hurt, Jenny stared at him for a few moments, before making a noise of disbelief and walking off. She headed quickly for the toilets as tears threatened; slamming her mug down on a table as she passed.
In the toilets, to Jenny's further dismay, Cordelia was there. Trying to retain what was left of her unravelling composure, Jenny fled into the nearest empty cubicle. Behind the closed door, she tried to keep her breathing under control, to not cry, but she was loosing it quickly. The tears streamed down her face as she fought to keep them back. Once she had heard what she thought was Cordelia's retreat out of the toilets, Jenny gave in to her misery and cried her heart out.
- -
Cordelia marched over to Giles, Oz, Willow and Xander. And with her usual lack of tact, told them, "I thought you guys should know, Ms. Calendar's crying in the toilets."
"What?" Xander asked.
"Crying. You should know what that means Xander!" Cordelia gave him a bitchy smile, and Xander gave her one of his own back.
"Very funny. If you think I'd waste my time crying over you. . ."
"Er, Cordelia, are you sure Ms. Calendar's erm, crying? You could be mistaken!" Rupert interrupted.
"I'm sure okay. She looked really upset when she came in and so I pretended to leave. I can't believe she fell for that slamming the door gig! Anyhow, as soon as she thought I was gone she burst into tears. She was really sobbing. It was terrible."
Willow and Oz snuck a look at Giles and then exchanged glances. Giles had a guilty look on his face. "Well, aren't you going to go and see if she's okay?" Cordelia asked Giles.
He fidgeted with his glasses. "I er, I don't know that that would be such a good idea. She might want to be alone right now. And besides, it's not as if I can go and barge right into the ladies!"
"I'll go see if she's okay," Willow offered. She was already walking off before Giles could protest.
- - -
When Willow entered the toilets, Jenny was standing at the mirror, applying her make-up. "Hey Ms. Calendar!"
"Hi Willow!" Jenny tried to sound chirpy.
Swinging her arms nervously, Willow went to stand beside her favourite teacher. "Are you okay?"
Jenny forced a smile. "Yeah, I fine."
"Er, Cordelia said you were crying."
Jenny stopped applying her mascara and looked at Willow in the mirror. She sighed. "I miss him."
"He misses you too."
Jenny turned to face Willow and smiled sadly. "Thanks for trying to make me feel better Willow, but I think we both know he hates my guts. He'll probably be happy if he never saw me again. Maybe you'd all be better off!"
"No, that's not true. Don't say that. And Giles doesn't hate you, he's just hurt. Please, don't give up on him Ms. Calendar, or on Buffy. They just need some time, that's all."
Their heart to heart ended as some students came into the toilets. Willow left Jenny to finish applying her make-up and went to relay the conversation to Giles, in the hope of playing match-maker.
- - -
Makeup reapplied, Jenny came out of the refuge of the ladies and went to stand out of the way of everyone, but where she could keep a watchful eye on the students. She hadn't been there long, when a voice spoke behind her. "Hello."
It was Rupert. She slowly turned around to face him. "Hi!"
"Jenny I'm. . . " he sighed deeply. "I'm sorry." He held her eyes with his. "I came here tonight with the full intent of avoiding you. But the truth is, I can't. I won't deny I'm deeply hurt by you're lying to me. I thought we had something special. . .I think we have something special, something worth saving. It's just you were the first adult I've trusted with my own secret in such a long time, the first person that I've trusted. It hurt that you didn't feel the same. I thought we were on the verge of a solid relationship."
"Rupert I do feel the same. I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't. I'd given my word to my people, and regardless of what you may think of me, my word means a lot to me. I couldn't break it. Just like I could never break my word to you that I wouldn't tell anyone you're a Watcher. I'm sorry for hurting you. I didn't mean to. I know that doesn't change the fact that I did." She looked down and then back up at him. "Rupert, I miss you so much."
"I miss you too."
"Do you think we could. . .is there a chance. . .you said you 'think we have something worth saving' did you mean that?"
"Yes." He smiled and held his arms open to her.
Jenny walked into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder. She sighed contentedly. "You've no idea how good it feels to be back in your arms."
In the toilets, to Jenny's further dismay, Cordelia was there. Trying to retain what was left of her unravelling composure, Jenny fled into the nearest empty cubicle. Behind the closed door, she tried to keep her breathing under control, to not cry, but she was loosing it quickly. The tears streamed down her face as she fought to keep them back. Once she had heard what she thought was Cordelia's retreat out of the toilets, Jenny gave in to her misery and cried her heart out.
- -
Cordelia marched over to Giles, Oz, Willow and Xander. And with her usual lack of tact, told them, "I thought you guys should know, Ms. Calendar's crying in the toilets."
"What?" Xander asked.
"Crying. You should know what that means Xander!" Cordelia gave him a bitchy smile, and Xander gave her one of his own back.
"Very funny. If you think I'd waste my time crying over you. . ."
"Er, Cordelia, are you sure Ms. Calendar's erm, crying? You could be mistaken!" Rupert interrupted.
"I'm sure okay. She looked really upset when she came in and so I pretended to leave. I can't believe she fell for that slamming the door gig! Anyhow, as soon as she thought I was gone she burst into tears. She was really sobbing. It was terrible."
Willow and Oz snuck a look at Giles and then exchanged glances. Giles had a guilty look on his face. "Well, aren't you going to go and see if she's okay?" Cordelia asked Giles.
He fidgeted with his glasses. "I er, I don't know that that would be such a good idea. She might want to be alone right now. And besides, it's not as if I can go and barge right into the ladies!"
"I'll go see if she's okay," Willow offered. She was already walking off before Giles could protest.
- - -
When Willow entered the toilets, Jenny was standing at the mirror, applying her make-up. "Hey Ms. Calendar!"
"Hi Willow!" Jenny tried to sound chirpy.
Swinging her arms nervously, Willow went to stand beside her favourite teacher. "Are you okay?"
Jenny forced a smile. "Yeah, I fine."
"Er, Cordelia said you were crying."
Jenny stopped applying her mascara and looked at Willow in the mirror. She sighed. "I miss him."
"He misses you too."
Jenny turned to face Willow and smiled sadly. "Thanks for trying to make me feel better Willow, but I think we both know he hates my guts. He'll probably be happy if he never saw me again. Maybe you'd all be better off!"
"No, that's not true. Don't say that. And Giles doesn't hate you, he's just hurt. Please, don't give up on him Ms. Calendar, or on Buffy. They just need some time, that's all."
Their heart to heart ended as some students came into the toilets. Willow left Jenny to finish applying her make-up and went to relay the conversation to Giles, in the hope of playing match-maker.
- - -
Makeup reapplied, Jenny came out of the refuge of the ladies and went to stand out of the way of everyone, but where she could keep a watchful eye on the students. She hadn't been there long, when a voice spoke behind her. "Hello."
It was Rupert. She slowly turned around to face him. "Hi!"
"Jenny I'm. . . " he sighed deeply. "I'm sorry." He held her eyes with his. "I came here tonight with the full intent of avoiding you. But the truth is, I can't. I won't deny I'm deeply hurt by you're lying to me. I thought we had something special. . .I think we have something special, something worth saving. It's just you were the first adult I've trusted with my own secret in such a long time, the first person that I've trusted. It hurt that you didn't feel the same. I thought we were on the verge of a solid relationship."
"Rupert I do feel the same. I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't. I'd given my word to my people, and regardless of what you may think of me, my word means a lot to me. I couldn't break it. Just like I could never break my word to you that I wouldn't tell anyone you're a Watcher. I'm sorry for hurting you. I didn't mean to. I know that doesn't change the fact that I did." She looked down and then back up at him. "Rupert, I miss you so much."
"I miss you too."
"Do you think we could. . .is there a chance. . .you said you 'think we have something worth saving' did you mean that?"
"Yes." He smiled and held his arms open to her.
Jenny walked into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder. She sighed contentedly. "You've no idea how good it feels to be back in your arms."