Cassandra was confused, had been almost all day now. Jenkins... wasn't acting like Jenkins. At first she'd just brushed it off as one of those off days he occasionally had where he vanished off to his lab in silence, but something still didn't sit right with Cassandra. She'd not seen him near Adrianna all day which was highly unusual since nothing could keep Jenkins from his daughter; also explained why she wouldn't stop crying.
Carefully the redhead carried little Adrianna down into The Library while trying to sooth her, it didn't really work though, she just wanted her Daddy. She easily spotted Jenkins stood by a large table covered over by artefacts, at least that looked like his usual self.
"Jenkins." The older man jumped and spun around to face her. "Would you take Adrianna please, she just wants her Daddy."
Jenkins opened his mouth to protest but Cassandra wasn't putting up with his weird any longer, her little girl wanted him so she was damn well going to get him. The redhead pushed Adrianna into his arms expecting her to fall silent almost instantly as she usually did, but that didn't happen. The baby shrieked even louder and Jenkins looked horrified.
"Here, clearly it's a Mommy day."
What the hell is going on?! Cassandra's mind demanded as Adrianna was forced back into her arms. Seriously, what is wrong with my Jenkins? He's tall, wears a bow tie and likes to tidy up where is the window for that to get screwed up?
"Jenkins, Sweetheart, what's going on?" Cassie asked as softly as she could while trying to get Adrianna to settle down.
She knew her daughter, this wasn't hungry or sleepy crying this was the crying she did when she wanted her father, it was 'Daddy pay attention to me' crying. She knew it, Adrianna knew it, Jenkins knew it... or at least he was suppose to. The baby was a Daddy's girl and he and overprotective parent, usually if he heard her crying he'd drop whatever it was he was doing and go straight to her.
"Nothing... what makes you think something is wrong? Nothing is wrong. Why would you say that?"
Jenkins didn't talk like that either, then it all clicked... he looked like the man she loved but he wasn't her Jenkins. Adrianna should have given it away in a heartbeat, she knew her Daddy and that wasn't her Daddy, that was why Adrianna had cried even louder, she'd spotted the fake. Cassandra didn't know who this look-alike was so she chose to play along lest this stranger harm her child.
"Alright." She said as convincingly as possible. "Maybe it's just me. I'll go set Adrianna down for a nap that's probably what she needs." It wasn't and Cassie knew it.
"Okay, yeah." Responded the not-Jenkins almost absent-mindedly.
The redhead still wanted to make absolutely sure this wasn't the man she loved so she tucked Adrianna into one arm and cupped not-Jenkins' cheek with her free hand then rose up onto her tiptoes to kiss his lips. The kiss was hesitant and unskilled, like a reluctant kiss between strangers. He snaked an arm around her waist and tilted his head a little two low almost as though he wasn't used to being so tall. He was clearly attracted to her but this wasn't right. When the kiss ended Cassandra was grateful, the man had a lazy smile on his face that was nothing like any expression of Jenkins'. That man wasn't Jenkins! Adrianna continued to cry and for a second Cassie thought she might join her, if that man wasn't The Library's Caretaker where the hell was he?
"I'll see you later, Jenkins." She told him slowly hoping he'd not notice how tense she'd become.
"Yeah, cool. I've got some em, very important work to do, so yeah, see you later. Bye kid."
And that was the final nail in the coffin, he'd never once called Adrianna 'kid' she was his Princess, he used that word more than her actual name because in his eyes she was a princess, Adrianna had royal blood after all.
She flashed not-Jenkins a smile and made her was as quickly but as calmly as she possibly could back up to the Annex where she easily found Jacob and Ezekiel huddled around a book. She promptly burst into tears as Adrianna's grew more demanding, the baby wanted her father and Cassandra wanted him back just as much.
"Cassie?" Asked Jake as he surged towards her, book forgotten and with Jones only a step behind him. "What's wrong? Is Adrianna okay?"
"She's fine. It's-" The redhead wiped away tears. "That's not Jenkins."
"Huh?" Ezekiel's brow furrowed. "What do you mean it's not Jenkins? Bow tie, suit, looked like it was Jenkins to me."
Carefully she passed Adrianna into Jacob's arms, she needed to get control of herself and Adrianna needed to be held by someone not bordering on a panic attack; that and she loved her Uncle Jake. Slowly the art historian bounced the baby in his arms and she hushed some, her crying didn't stop but it at least went down in volume a little. Ezekiel helped the redhead to sit down.
"Cassie, what are you talking about?"
Cassandra took a breath. "He's been acting off for a few days now. At first I thought... I thought he was stressed with his lab work or just having a weird day but... it's not him. Adrianna wouldn't stop crying, she wants Jenkins so I took her to him and as soon as he touched her she just started screaming. He was horrified, shoved her into my arms and refused to touch her, that's not like Jenkins, he's a wonderful father and she's a Daddy's girl. He adores her. We're her parents, we know what her cries mean, but he didn't know." She shook her head and wiped away yet more tears as she started to calm down. "Adrianna knew though, she knows that man isn't her father. I wanted to make sure, so I kissed him. That's not how Jenkins kisses, that was like a teenager that's never kissed a girl before. He doesn't kiss right. That man is not my Jenkins."
"You're sure?" The other librarians just glared at Ezekiel.
"How much more sure could I be? Adrianna said he's not Jenkins. The kiss says he's not Jenkins. What do you want me to do, have sex with him and really confirm it? That kiss was bad and it's kind of destroyed my memories of kissing Jenkins so I'd rather not ruin my sex memories as well, because damn is the sex good."
"Alright, okay, calm down. I did not need that mental image." Groaned the thief.
"I say we get a scroll, ask him to translate it. It's not that I don't believe you, Cassie, just that I want to see it for myself. Okay?"
Cassie nodded, if Jake wanted to see for himself then fine. She rose to her feet and took her daughter back.
"I'll set her down for a nap, she's not going to be happy about it but Jenkins isn't here to calm her down."
The baby seemed to have picked up on the tension in the Annex and had slowed her tears to hiccups as though she knew her Daddy wasn't coming, that broke Cassandra's heart. Jenkins was always there for Adrianna, that baby was the most important thing in the world to him.
Thankfully when Cassandra set the child down in her crib she slipped into slumber, all the crying had tired her out. Hopefully she'd sleep long enough for them to figure out what the hell was happening and get the real Jenkins back.
XXXX
Jenkins couldn't do this any longer, some dude named Jeff had stolen his body and for what? To go out joyriding! He couldn't figure out the last puzzle to get back into The Library, couldn't get back to his darling Cassandra and baby girl. He'd promised he'd always be there for them, he'd already lost his immortality and now he was so far away from them... how much more could he break his promise? Knights kept their word, their oaths, but he was failing them. So much for being Sir Galahad.
"It's hopeless."
Then Dennis had sat down on the white floor beside him a calming expression on his face.
"Mister Jenkins, there's a bedtime story I often tell my kids."
"Oh, God." Jenkins really didn't want to listen to this, be reminded of his daughter.
"It... It's about a bunny that gets lost on his way home from the dark wood, and he gets so scared, so frightened, that he wants to just curl up in a little ball and give up. But then he remembers what his mother always tells him. No matter how dark things look, just keep hopping and you'll find your way home."
There was a moment of silence, Dennis was right he couldn't just give up. If he gave up he really would fail Cassandra and Adrianna. The Library was his home, where his family was, he couldn't just give up on that, on them.
"Just keep hopping." He said to himself and than smashed his fists against the floor. "Just keep hopping!"
The three Dungeons and Dragons players all joined in slamming their fists into the floor forcing the white to crack and break until finally it all gave way and he saw the entrance to The Library.
"We made it." Cried Aurora. "That last chamber was a test of perseverance."
Jenkins ignored that in favour of turning to Dennis.
"Thank you, Dennis." He took a breath. "And thank you all for bringing me this far but this is where we must part ways."
"You mean, we can't go in?"
"No. The Library must stay a magical secret place. It cannot be shared with the public, despite what your friend Jeff thinks. Go to his house, and if all turns out well, you'll soon have your friend back to normal." A pause, small and hardly there. "May I borrow your sword?" It was handed over quickly. "Would you three take a knee, please? In the name of the ancient gods, and to all the ancient kings, I dub thee three honorary knights of Camelot. Rise, knights." Each obeyed and rose to their feet. "I have fought beside the greatest of warriors, but none braver than you." He chuckled. "Now, go. I have an evil book I must find."
It had only been right to reward them in some way, he had no real right to knight anyone, only Arthur could do that but it brought them some semblance of joy and showed them how much he appreciated their aid. With a fond fair well Jenkins returned to his home.
What he found was horrific, his darling Cassadra and the others trapped in thick web which had forced them into some sort of stasis. Then he'd found Jeff, how strange it was to see someone else looking through his eyes. There were fear in his but in Jenkins' there was just anger and rage.
"You thief!" Growled Jenkins as he launched for Jeff.
"Oh, crap." Of course he ran away, round and around the large reading table as though they were playing a game. "Wait, wait, wait, wait."
"You stole my body!"
Jenkins actually had to stop, Jeff's body was seriously unfit. Jenkins had never been so out of shape in his life, as a knight he'd trained for hours every single day. Even though he no longer did that he still trained with his sword in the gym to keep it all fresh in his mind and the amount of time he spent going back and forth through The Library was wonderful exercise.
"Yes, yes, I did, but it was just for a little while." Like that was going to make it all okay. "I promise I was going to give it back."
"Liar!"
"No, I'm telling the truth. I told the Librarians about the book, and I was taking them to find it when this monster, it came out and it attacked us, and I hid." Jeff genuinely sounded scared, it wasn't a tone Jenkins had ever heard from his own voice before.
"You think that was bad? Wait till I get hold of you!"
"Please, please, please." Jeff begged as they started up the table dance once more.
"How dare you!"
"Stop! Just stop. Please, please stop." Reluctantly Jenkins did, there was no harm hearing a man out before he killed him. "I screwed up. I used the book, and I got in way over my head.I didn't mean for any of this to happen." He groaned. "I'm so sorry." Jeff looked off to where Cassandra and the others were frozen amongst the web. "What was that?"
Jenkins sighed. "That is Asmodeus, one of the Seven Princes of Hell. Centuries ago, Merlin entrapped him in that spellbook. But by you using it, you unknowingly released him back into the world.
"Your friends, are they-" Jenkins cut the idiot known as Jeff off.
"They're They'll be fine. It's just a form of hibernation. Asmodeus' power is limited for now, but I must find him." He stopped dead. "Wait. Where is Adrianna?"
"That's the kid right? She- I don't know. Last I saw her she was with Cassandra. I don't think your kid likes me."
"You stole her father's body, can you blame her?" Jenkins took a breath. "Alright, is Cassie is here with us then Adrianna has to be upstairs in her crib. If you told them you weren't me she'd have put her there to keep her safe." Relief flooded his mind, his daughter was safe. He could concentrate on Asmodeus. "I must entrap him again, and to do that, I must be in my own body. So give me that book back."
"You wanna switch back now?" Jeff looked horrified.
"If I'm to fight a Prince of Hell, I can't do it in this short, slightly overweight body. I need to be in my own skin."
"But I like being you."
The younger man looked like a child who had just been told they couldn't have another cookie, and Jenkins didn't have time for it.
"Jeff!"
"You saw my life. You saw how much it sucks. I mean, I live in my mother's basement, for Christ's sake."
"My life is not yours to take."
"I know." Sighed Jeff. "I know. It It It's just You had to be me for a couple of days. I have to be me forever."
Jenkins sighed, he could understand that, there had been days – years even – when he'd wished to be someone else. It hadn't even mattered who, just someone that wasn't him.
"Not long ago, I made a decision to become mortal." Began Jenkins in a softer tone than Jeff deserved. "My choice. I... I did it willingly, but I will confess that I was not prepared for what it would be like to actually be human. And I've been struggling, truly struggling, with the idea of growing older, the limitations, and having to go into the world dealing with people? There are a lot of awful people in the world. Do you know that? But I think I'm coming to realize that I've been concentrating on the negative a little too much, because on the other side there are wonderful, amazing things in this life, in your life. You have phenomenally faithful friends, you have a loving mother, and you have food."
If Cassandra hadn't kept hiding them Jenkins would have eaten at least seventeen boxes of Twinkies to himself by now. He'd always eaten when the mood took him but there was something about mortality that made him adore the stuff.
"Yeah, food is good." Jeff muttered.
"Food is delicious." For some reason the Knight felt the need to stress that.
"Yeah."
"And so there are beautiful things in life, in your life, and we have to embrace it all. Because, really, what's the point of having a life if one does not live it fully?" He paused for a second or two. "I may be over fifteen-hundred years old but I have only really lived for maybe a hundred years of my immortality. I lived every day when I was mortal because, hey, I was a knight that could have died at any moment. But my immortality, I suppose I took it for granted. The only time I ever seem to truly live is when I love, and that is extremely painful." Jeff almost deflated. "Charlene kept me sane. I had a few years with Edmund, adventuring for The Library, a couple more with Thomas before he died. Now I have Cassandra and my beautiful little girl. They make living worthwhile, important, and your friends do that for you."
"Wait. Edmund? Thomas? I thought you were straight."
Jenkins raised an eyebrow. "That's what you focus on? I'm bisexual is really more important than live your own life and give me my bloody body back?"
It took a while but eventually Jenkins got the counter agent to Jeff's little spell into the both of them and Asmodeus was once again trapped. Jenkins had never been so pleased to be in his own skin, he'd never take that for granted again. In a way he felt sorry for Jeff now but they were back where they were supposed to be and hopefully Jeff had learnt from what Jenkins had said.
When Jenkins found the others a few hours after he'd left Jeff back at his mother's house tidying up the mess Asmodeus and Jeff had caused. They all paused when they saw him, Cassandra held Adrianna tight, the baby was fussing.
"Cassandra, my love-"
"Are you, you?" She asked quickly. "Really you?"
"Yes."
He told her simply as he reached for Adrianna, he'd longed to hold her since the whole mess began. It actually hurt him when Cassie was reluctant to hand the baby over but he understood her caution. As soon as the little girl was in his arms Adrianna quit her fussing and cuddled into him, Jenkins grinned, he'd missed her.
"Hello, Princess." Jenkins pressed a tiny kiss to her forehead.
"That's really you." Muttered Cassie and Jenkins just pulled her to him so as he could kiss her.
Ezekiel instantly remembered what Cassandra had told them earlier and quickly looked away, he didn't need that mental image coming back. Cassie swoon when he kissed her, almost as though she'd not seen him in years. When they finally broke apart Cassandra melted into him and smiled at the others.
"Yeah, that's Jenkins."
"Adrianna is tired, my love, I shall put her to bed and then help clean this mess up."
They all nodded, Eve insisted he didn't need to bother but Jenkins was the Caretaker, he liked to keep The Library tidy.
He rocked Adrianna gently as he climbed the stairs and walked down to hallway to Adrianna's room, she gurgled little noises and kept her cerulean orbs on her father – her mother's eyes – Gods he loved her. Jenkins set his daughter down in her crib with the little elephant toy she seemed to favour and just stared down at her, Adrianna looked nothing like him but Cassandra insisted her personality was all him.
"I'm so sorry I scared you and your mother, Adrianna. You know I love you, both of you, so very much. This isn't going to make any real sense to you, Princess, but I need you to know and remember this. Just keep hopping, okay? Daddy will always come back to you but you just keep hopping until I do."
Jenkins would never take his body for granted again, and if anything he'd become even more fierce, he'd never give up on getting back to his family.