The knocking on the front door rudely reverberates through the apartment walls, rousing them from a deep sleep.
Jenny grumbles as she rolls over to face Rupert. She vaguely congratulates herself for doing so without dislodging his arm from around her waist. Refusing to give in to the person vying for their attention, she stubbornly opens only one eye to look at his rumpled form, bleary-eyed as he tries to figure out why someone is knocking on his front door while they're sleeping.
"I think someone wants your attention," she tells him. She closes her open eye.
"Who on Earth would think this is a reasonable time?" Rupert bitches. God, she loves it when he's half asleep and everything offends him. His commentary isn't as filtered or proper as it is when he's fully awake and has all of his faculties to be polite.
"It could be an emergency," Jenny reasons with him.
"Then they should have called," he sighs when three sharp knocks come in quick succession. "Why do you think it's me they're after? You're here, too."
Eyes closed – she refuses to wake up completely – she reaches out and pats his cheek. "It's your apartment, babe." She waits for him to lean into her touch, turning his head a fraction to place a tender kiss on her palm. "Besides, I'm not exactly dressed to answer the door."
"You're not dressed at all," Rupert points out.
Jenny laughs as she feels the covers shift and she just knows he looked. "Did you just check that I'm naked?"
"I needed to make sure it wasn't a dream," he confirms. "I'm not exactly dressed myself."
Jenny opens her eyes, giving up all the pretence that she'll be getting back to sleep anytime soon.
"No, but you have clothes up here to get dressed, mine are dispersed between here and the living room." She peeks under the covers to find him just wearing his boxers. Shame.
It's moments like this, normal, inconsequential moments when her heart is so full of him when she knows they're falling in love, she almost believes it won't matter when her true identity is revealed. Whether it comes out because something goes wrong or if their relationship grows into something where a deeper commitment is wanted by both of them. Watching Angel or not, she'll definitely need to tell him then.
"Do you suppose they'll go away if we ignore them?" Rupert proposes, without any real conviction.
"Ugh, maybe, but our cars are parked next to each other on the street and Buffy is strong enough to kick down your door if she gets worried, so I think you need to answer the door soon."
"Who says it's Buffy?"
As if she's heard her name, Buffy's voice calls out as the knocking resumes, "Come on, Giles, up and at 'em."
Jenny cocks an eyebrow at Rupert as he sighs, pushing away the covers to get up.
"A watcher is never off duty," he mutters, pulling on his pyjama pants and a shirt so he's at least dressed if not presentable to answer to his sixteen-year-old charge.
"What time is it anyway?" Jenny asks as she snuggles back down into the bed.
"Um, oh, just approaching ten," he picks the alarm clock off the floor. "When did that get there?"
"I think you might have whacked it when we fell into bed last night," Jenny vaguely remembers the thud when she told him he couldn't touch her while she kissed her way down to his navel and lower.
"Ah," Rupert concedes, blushing at his own memory.
"You think you can toss my clothes up on your way down?"
He nods as he starts to descend the stairs. Her underwear is the first item that volleys through the door, then her bra. Her jeans land with a thud as he pitches them over the bannister. She keeps the covers to her chest as she scoops down to pick them up from the floor while waiting for her shirt.
She shimmies into the underwear, wishing she had the forethought of bringing others with her just in case. Spending the night with Rupert was happening more often than not, she really should have brought some with her. Even if she had, they'd be in her bag, which is downstairs. She fastens her bra and pulls on her jeans, while her shirt still hasn't materialised.
Jenny frowns when she hears Rupert open the door instead.
"Morning Giles, did you forget about the training session you insisted on this morning?"
"I was hoping you had," comes his snarky reply. Jenny's heart flutters.
"I haven't, I was at the library waiting but you never showed up, so I got worried," Buffy whines. "I was on time because I have fun Saturday plans with Willow and Xander after training which I don't want to be late for. You're not even dressed." She pauses. "Are you okay? This isn't like that weekend with Eyghon, is it?"
Jenny hopes not otherwise they're so screwed.
"No, no, overslept is all," Rupert assures her.
"Ugh, I don't want to know what happens on adult sleepovers, thank you," Buffy tells him in a rush.
Jenny smirks at the sound of the teenagers' disapproval.
"Sleepover?" Rupert questions.
To be fair, neither of them has acknowledged Jenny's presence and he might be trying to save her the embarrassment or trying to pretend he's alone.
"It better be Miss Calendar upstairs," Buffy mutters loudly enough for Jenny to hear. Jenny smiles for someone sticking up for her in the hypothetical scenario that Rupert had been in bed with someone else. "One, her bag is on the couch, two, her shoes are on the floor by the couch and, three, her car is parked on the street next to your car. So, I'm guessing she spent the night."
"Yes, well…" Rupert stammers.
"Morning, Miss Calendar," Buffy calls out.
"Morning Buffy," Jenny calls back, trying not to laugh. She would take the acknowledgement as a sign to join them downstairs but she doubts Buffy would appreciate her going down in just a bra and jeans to hunt for her elusive shirt.
"Sorry to wake you," the younger woman apologises.
"Sorry to wake...?" Rupert questions.
"Hey, you double booked, Giles," Buffy argues.
"You're loving this, aren't you?"
"Absolutely! It's so rare that I get to tell you off," the slayer replies in a sing-song tone.
Jenny listens as their volume lowers and their conversation moves onto a report about Buffy's patrol last night and it becomes quite clear Jenny isn't getting her shirt any time soon. She can't just sit up here all morning. Her eyes flit around the room, landing on the wardrobe in the corner. She's borrowed a pyjama top before and as she can't exactly sneak down as it would be inappropriate for a student to see her topless, she doesn't have any other option.
Opening the doors, she finds herself counting the tweed jackets hanging up in the closet. She moves the hangers she counts, looking at the various designs wondering how any there could possibly be. She decides she's going to have to revisit later, with Rupert, when they have more time. She moves onto the shirts hanging in the other half of the rail. She grabs the white with the pale blue pinstripes. Slipping it on, Jenny fastens the buttons and rolls up the sleeves so she isn't swimming in it.
Walking downstairs, she checks for her shirt but the stairs are clear of clothes. Reaching the bottom, she's greeted by Buffy leaning against the back of the sofa as Rupert makes tea for them all.
"Morning."
"Hey, Miss Calendar," Buffy smiles. Jenny tries to ignore her eyes drifting over her outfit as she clocks Rupert's shirt.
"You two have training?" Jenny asks instead.
"I think we're postponing till after school on Monday," Buffy informs her, beaming at the turn of events.
Jenny meets Rupert's eyes at the compromise they've reached. She doesn't normally expect this from either of them. As much as Buffy vents about her calling, she is dedicated to it.
Besides, this works out for all of them. Buffy gets Saturday free and Rupert is available to spend time with Jenny.
Rupert places three cups of brewed tea on the kitchen bar before walking into the living room to join them. He passes a cup each to Buffy and Jenny, pausing briefly as he takes in her outfit. His lips lift, his ear tips flushing pink. She likes that he likes her wearing his clothes.
Buffy clears her throat.
They'll discuss this later. When he's undressing her.
"I'll go get dressed," Rupert fondly glares at his charge as he schleps off upstairs.
"As much as I love watching you two make googly eyes at each other, I'm going to wake up Xander and Willow," Buffy comments.
"What are you guys up to?" Jenny asks.
"Movies and snacks," Buffy responds. "Will's also going to help me and Xander with revising for history."
A beat.
"So, do I want to know why you're wearing Giles' shirt?"
Jenny gestures down at herself, "Well, I spilt something on my shirt."
"Is that the truth?"
"I lost my shirt before we left the living room last night, so I have no idea where it is and didn't know how to look for it without making you uncomfortable."
A beat.
"So, you spilt something on your shirt?" Buffy says in a high pitch.
"And Rupert is washing it for me."