Set between The Dark Ages and What's My Line. So, I read a snippet from an interview that Angel found out Jenny was watching him before he lost his soul. That kind of triggered a trio of chapters (Enyos, Angel, and the next chapter), hope you're still enjoying it.

"Hey."

"Ah!" Jenny falls back against her car as the voice comes from the shadows. She scrambles for the cross she carries in her bag as Angel steps from the shadows. He holds his hands up to placate her fear which is coming off her in waves. "What are you doing here?"

"I was wondering if we could talk," he replies, not making a move to get closer. He glances around the parking area for her building. "I wanted to check you were okay after…" Angel trails off, gesturing with his hand towards her.

Jenny's grip on the cross tightens, her knuckles turning white.

It's been almost a week since she saw Enyos and ten days since Eyghon took her as a disguise. The bruises on her neck are clearing but she still needs a scarf for classes. Jenny doesn't want to field questions from students or colleagues who decide to tease her about what they would assume were hickeys. God forbid they thought they were from Rupert.

No.

No matter what she wishes could have been, there would be no hickeys from Rupert.

Angel winces, reluctant to voice what's obviously on his mind. Of all of Buffy's friends, Jenny hadn't expected him to reach out.

Willow had asked how she was. Cordelia lingered after their first class together after the weekend to check on her without asking the actual question, which Jenny appreciated because it was hard to hold back even for her. Xander was more considerate about his jokes in class. He was trying to be normal around her but she could tell he was biting his tongue.

Detaching herself was going to be harder than she expected when they were such an integral part of her day. She knew it would take a while but she would figure out a way to be around them without being around Rupert if Enyos was making her stay.

None of that explained why Angel was waiting for her outside her building when she arrived home.

"I'm getting there," she says, remembering his query. "Can I help you with something?"

He thinks about it for a moment, alternating between looking at her and their surroundings. "Look, um, I know you don't want to talk about but," Angel sighs.

"Eyghon," he starts again, eying the cross she's holding up at him still. "Look, I don't expect you to invite me in, probably best that you don't, but do you want to head inside and I can talk to you through the door so you feel safer?"

Jenny blinked at him, baffled by their encounter so far, she'd forgotten about holding it. She's still jumpy and she hasn't been able to fall asleep for more than an hour at a time without the light on. After a moment, she lowers her hand and waits for him to fall into step with her as she follows his direction to go to her apartment. She unlocks her door, crossing the threshold as he hoovers outside. She manages to get her bearings as she moves just out of his reach despite being safe as she hasn't invited him in. She puts the cross on the hall table, within reach if anything goes wrong.

She's kind of grateful her neighbour moved out last month and won't interrupt whatever he's come to say.

Once she's inside her apartment, Angel watches her flick the lights. "How are you sleeping?"

"I'm not, not properly," Jenny admits. Angel nods in understanding.

"Eyghon wasn't in my head for long," Angel begins, leaning on the railing opposite her front door. "But some of his memories lingered."

Jenny meets his eyes. She swallows.

"What he, ugh, saw in your head," he continues. "I know why you're here."

Her mouth opens but she's not sure what to say, if anything, to defend herself. Because there isn't really anything to say. She can't deny or apologise for it. Between the lies and wanting to leave, she wants some honesty and she never expected to have this conversation with him.

Her whole life has been punctuated with hearing tales of his cruelty, learning Angelus's hunting methods and the way he tormented victims before he sank his teeth into them. They felt him in their core, their lives were his before he killed them. He took pleasure in their suffering. He liked to watch. He liked to play.

When they first came face to face, Jenny had been thrown by his demeanour. She knew he was meant to suffer but in her head, she hadn't accounted for his behaviour or willingness to fight the good fight to make up for what he did in the past. It wasn't a tally, he didn't expect his contribution to outweigh everything Angelus had done but it was some small penance to help.

She expected arrogance. She expected to see some remnants of Angelus, the cocky son of a bitch. She hadn't accounted for the toll a hundred years of remorse would take on him.

Granted, their interaction was limited to an introduction before on their way out of the library after the Master died and they didn't really speak. But Jenny noted the quiet reflection and the obvious concern he held for Buffy. He didn't make a spectacle of himself as the stories of Angelus depicted him to.

"I don't know how to respond to that, Angel," she isn't going to deny anything. She can't even bring herself to close the door in his face.

If Angel knows, there's some hope Enyos would let her leave without getting drawn deeper.

"Neither do I, not really," he admits. "I'm not here to plead my case or tell you to leave."

"Why are you here?"

"I know you're not the first to watch me, there've been others so I'm not surprised. And I don't want you to think I'm here to tell you to leave, I just wanted to say thanks, I think."

"Thanks?"

She hasn't heard him right.

"Yeah," Angel sounds surer this time. "It means I'm not the only one keeping me in check. I think about it sometimes and worry about getting complacent."

She nods in understanding. After all, hadn't she been too complacent when she let herself get drawn in by her attraction to Rupert thinking it was fine to indulge only to realise her omissions would bite her on the ass.

"Don't worry about me telling Buffy or Giles, this is your story to tell, Jenny," he promises. "I don't know if you should, that's your decision, but I just thought you should know that Eyghon's memories didn't die with him."

"Son of a bitch," Jenny whispers, bobbing her head.

"Yeah," Angel agrees.

"I'm not," Jenny starts, finding her voice. "Rupert, I mean, I really do have feelings for him." She has no idea why she feels the need to say this to him, to justify this to him. Her feelings for Rupert may be a little conflicted right now, but they're genuine. And she misses him more than expected. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that.

"I know, I don't think Eyghon had any control over what he left behind." He pauses. "Besides, even I caught you gazing at each other. That's pretty hard to fake, even if you're good at it." He smirks. "From what I've heard, neither you nor Giles held back when you first met."

Jenny rolls her eyes.

Despite being afraid when he first showed up, she finds she's relaxed even with their conversation. It's been the first time since she arrived in Sunnydale, she hasn't had to hide. He considered her ordeal and let her do what she wanted to feel safe. After her confrontation with Enyos, it felt like a weight lifted from her shoulders.

"Look, I don't know how you feel about this, if your family will make you leave now I know or what, but I want you to know I'm glad you're watching me."

Unable to find her voice, she nods. He offers her a tentative smile which looks and obviously feels weird for him so after a beat, he starts to leave.

"Angel," Jenny calls as he walks away. He turns back to her. "Thank you for saving my life."

He holds her stare for a minute. "Do me a favour, okay?" She cocks her head to the side in silent askance. "If anything happens, you'll save mine?"

She realises what he's asking. If he loses his soul… "I'll do my best."

The third part of this small trilogy will be set during Ted.