Jenny leads the teachers and parents through the stacks. She climbs out of the same window Xander had escaped through to get Angel. She drops to the ground and turns back to help as their group follows her, Snyder grunts as he lands and steps out of the way of the next person. He pulls a cell phone from his jacket and starts dialing. Jenny does a mental tally of how many people they have here rather than thinking about the bodies left inside the school.
Jenny helps the new science teacher steady themselves, offering a grim smile of Get used to it or get out of town the first chance you get. She turns back to the window to find Rupert and Mrs. Summers locked in a battle of wills.
"I'm going back for my daughter," Buffy's mother insists, proving Buffy's determination is hereditary rather than something that goes hand in hand with being the slayer.
"Buffy asked me to make sure you get out of here safely," Rupert argues, blocking her path.
Jenny adores him for the effort, she really does, but she knows it's going to take a lot more than that for Mama-bear Summers to back down. Hell, he was going to do the same less than an hour ago.
"I'm not leaving without her," Joyce reiterates.
Rupert looks behind him, listening for faint sounds of the fight his slayer is tangled in. Jenny holds her breath because she knows what's coming next. "I'll get her," he promises. He glances at Jenny, who nods in understanding. "Now, please go with Miss Calendar and the others. I will bring Buffy to you."
Jenny can hear the resolve, the care, the fear in his voice. Jenny watches Buffy's mother, who looks dazed and confused by the whole experience. Jenny can sympathise; the other woman has no idea how close Rupert and Buffy are or why, and she has no reason to believe anything any member of the faculty says about Buffy. She's been locked in a room with the principal, who no doubt was spewing the same rubbish he's ranting into his phone right now…God, she can hear him screeching about PCP and a gang.
Jenny resolutely turns away from her boss because her patience is about to snap and she doesn't think the police will accept any reasoning that she had to bludgeon him with a branch she found in the shrubs because he was being a little troll. She refocuses on Rupert and Mrs Summers, who have gone back to refusing to leave the building.
"Hey," Jenny says softly, trying to defuse the situation. Which isn't her forte, but hey, it's a screwed-up night. They both stop and look at her.
"How about Rupert goes back for Buffy and you stay with me down here?" The older woman starts to shake her head and Jenny doesn't have time. They need to get her out of the school because if Buffy loses, Spike is coming for them next. "Buffy will need to get out of the window fast if they're being followed, we need to be ready to run as soon as they're out," Jenny tells her, cutting off any argument she might have. "It'll be easier if we're already out."
Mrs. Summers opens her mouth and Jenny tries not to wince as she turns back to Rupert. "You'll get her, right? You'll bring her here?"
"Of course," he promises thickly and Jenny ignores the clenching around her heart because he's beginning to mean something to her. "Let's get you out first, hmm."
Jenny moves to help because Mrs. Summers doesn't look like the person who regularly climbs through windows, but then again neither does Rupert.
As soon as her feet touch the ground Jenny is at the window, half tempted to pull Rupert out as he leans down to guide Mrs Summers to the ground. Instead, her hand captures his and she squeezes lightly because there's no way he's leaving Buffy to fend for herself. They've been over this. His eyes catch hers, determined and fearful. "Be careful," Jenny tells him, releasing his hand.
He nods resolutely and disappears back into the darkened library.
Jenny casts a glance at Snyder and the others as they head towards the front of the school, praying no vampires are lurking outside to take them out as they make a break for safety. Snyder must have done something right for once because there are sirens in the distance. Not that the police will have anything effective for the vampires who stormed the school, but Jenny hopes the attention and the masses will scare them off long enough to regroup, clear the school, and collect the bodies.
Jenny sighs, craning her head to look through the window. If Rupert dies, I'll kill him, she thinks.
"Come on," she whispers to herself.
It isn't until she's on her tiptoes – the window sill is just above her head – that she notices Mrs Summers doing the same. They look at each other at the same time.
"You're staying?" Buffy's mother asks kind of surprised, kind of relieved she's not alone.
"I want to make sure Rupert and Buffy get out okay," Jenny answers, hanging to the belief that they'll hear them running through the library any second now.
"Are you and…" Mrs Summers starts and Jenny tries not to roll her eyes.
Yeah, that's the only reason I'm staying…
Jenny refuses to think about the increasing amount of time she's spending with Rupert or the fact that they may die before they kiss. If he dies before they kiss, she'll ignore his ghost if he haunts her.
"You're a teacher here?"
Jenny almost laughs at the awful attempt at a conversation at a time like this. "I teach computer science," she says a little tersely. "I'm Miss Calendar but you can call me Jenny."
"Joyce," Joyce blinks back. "I thought you had to remain formal with parents."
"This isn't the kind of night for formality," Jenny drawls. "Besides, I don't teach Buffy, she isn't in my class."
Joyce looks down, then over at Snyder. Jenny sighs, glaring at Snyder's back.
"Look, I may not teach Buffy, I can't tell you about her grades, but I know she's a good kid." Joyce's head snaps up. "She's dedicated to her friends, she's funny and kind, she knows how to handle herself and look after others in a difficult situation." Jenny pauses, not wanting to overstep.
Jenny hates parent-teacher nights. All parents want to hear their kid is brilliant and then a target to unload blame when they find out their kid isn't. But she can't stand by and let someone who disparaged Buffy's character, label her lost cause, without knowing the mitigating truth about her life. Jenny thinks Buffy does a good job of juggling her destiny with school and trying to be a teenager. Any of those things can be hard separately let alone combined for one person to tackle on their own.
"Look, I don't know what you've been told, I can guess that Principal Snyder said a lot of the same things my teachers said about me." Joyce raises her eyebrows. "And I'm not saying it's not important, but, right now, Buffy is doing her best, exhibiting life skills that most of the kids her age don't."
"Thank you," Joyce says meaningfully. "If you're not her teacher, how do you know…?"
"The library is kind of a refuge for her from those in the school who prefer to focus on railroading her, rather than guiding her like they're supposed to." Jenny pauses.
"She talks about Mr Giles a lot," Joyce tells her.
"He's good at his job," Jenny replies, her dual meaning completely lost on Joyce.
They're stopped from saying anything else when Buffy and Rupert rush through the gap in the stacks and approach the window.
"Oh, thank God," Jenny exclaims.
Buffy pushes her Watcher towards the window, urging him first so she can bring up the rear.
"They're heading for the hills," is all the young slayer says as Jenny moves into position to steady Rupert on his feet.
Neither of them mentions the fire axe Rupert is carrying. Jenny hopes Spike lost his head.
Closing her hands around his forearms, Jenny urges Rupert out of Buffy's way as she vaults out of the window onto the grass with a landing that'd put any gymnast to shame.
"Buffy!" Joyce engulfs her only child in a fierce hug that Buffy returns.
"I'm okay, Mom," she promises. "You should have gotten away with the others."
Joyce pulls back and frames Buffy's face in her hands gently. "I wasn't leaving without you. Jenny stayed with me."
Buffy throws a grateful look in Jenny's direction. "Thank you."
Jenny nods. "I think we better move though; the police will have to take do a head count when they get here."
"That's a good idea," Rupert says. "Have you seen Xander or Willow?"
Jenny shakes her head. She and Rupert hang back as Buffy walks towards the sirens and lights with her mother, scanning the area for her friends.
"Buffy's right, you should have-." Rupert begins, gesturing towards the other escapees, pausing when Jenny reaches up to straighten his glasses.
"I wasn't leaving without you," she tells him, her tone daring him to argue with her. Rupert gives her a soft smile, which she returns.
They head off towards the other survivors. They spy Xander and Angel heading over to Buffy and her mother, bickering away as Jenny and Rupert approach Snyder and other members of the faculty.
"The police have restored power and will be sweeping the building. Once they give the all clear, we will go in pairs and secure classrooms," Snyder orders.
Jenny and Rupert instinctively take a half step closer, their shoulders bumping gently. They smile slightly when Snyder glares at them for pairing up. The adrenaline and worry are starting to ebb away but she'd like to be around Rupert for a bit longer.
A couple of hours later, they locked her lab, and the library and secured the window before she and Rupert left the building together. The temperature has dropped but it doesn't bother Jenny in her short-sleeved shirt.
"Well, another wonderful fun-filled evening…" she muses, placing her hands on her hips and stretching her neck.
"Uh, yes, you know, um, I will understand if you start avoiding me." It's said nonchalantly as he slowly meets her gaze.
Their eyes lock for a long beat. Then she glances at his arm. Actions speak louder than words.
Her hands move very deliberately to wrap around his bicep, it feels much more intimate and poignant than his forearm. She isn't letting him go that easily. Rupert hums a little in relief as they walk towards the parking lot.
"Besides, you owe me a third date."
"A third date?"
Jenny smiles, looking anywhere but at Rupert. He's getting better, there was no stammer at all when he spoke. She likes him like this, latching on to something to forget they almost died. Again. "Yeah."
"Of course," Rupert says thoughtfully. "However, I do believe we need a second date before we get to our third."
She smirks up at him, pressing herself into his side. "We just spent the night in the library!"
"I believe I was researching for Saturday and you were helping in between avoiding parents," Rupert counters lightly. "Then Spike stormed the school. Hardly qualifies, I think,"
She fleetingly remembers her conversation with Joyce and hopes she gave her a little reassurance about Buffy. Because that was one of the rare times when she was good with a parent. Jenny refocuses on Rupert. He doesn't need to know what she said to Joyce; he'd be telling her the same thing if not more than Jenny had.
Instead, Jenny pulls a face. He is wrong; she was in the library because she wanted to spend time with him because he was beginning to matter to her. But she wants to play it cool because she's not sure he's wrong about tonight. She's not going to tell him that, though.
"Snyder said I had to be in the building, he did not specify I had to be in my classroom," Jenny grumbles, "I say it counts."
"I think we're beginning to set a precedent," Rupert sighs stopping between their cars. Complete coincidence this morning. Jenny leans back against her car, not ready to say good night just yet. He clears his throat. "But I agree. I'd like there to be a third date."
Jenny feels that shyness overcome her. She's never had this feeling with anyone else; this hopeful nervousness despite thoroughly enjoying his. It's weird to have it reciprocated, too. "So, what would make tonight feel more like a second date?"
They both blush when the words leave her mouth. She isn't sure who leans in first, maybe they both do. His nose is brushing hers as she parts her lips-
"Don't you have homes to go to?" Snyder rips through the moment and the parking lot.
They jerk apart and glare in his direction. "We should've let him die," they mumble at the same time.