Title: Trust 1/?
Author: Marissa
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Giles/Jenny
Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money. It's all Joss Whedon's.
Notes: This is part one of my "What if Jenny and Giles met about 10 or so
years earlier" fic. It takes place in London, England. I have never
been to London England; I have never even been to London, Ontario
(LOL, joke... yeah). So if the sense of setting doesn't ring true,
that's why. Plus, I was 1 year old in 1985, so don't expect alot of
cultural references. That said, I hope you enjoy it!
1985- London, England
Rupert Giles was one his way home from one of his two jobs (the secret one) the first time he saw her. She was exiting a nightclub with what appeared to be a young man about her own age. The man gave Giles an uneasy feeling, a feeling that was justified when the couple turned down an alleyway and he heard the girl scream not long after. Giles ran across the street and into the alley. The vampire was leaning over the girl, about to bite. Without hesitation, Giles pulled a stake out of his jacket pocket and plunged it through the vampire's heart.
The vampire dusted, revealing the girl it had been hunched over. She was stunning, with thick black hair and hypnotic dark eyes. She was almost exotic-looking, although she couldn't have been any older than twenty, and her outfit – a black vinyl mini-skirt, skimpy halter top and heavy make-up- cheapened her look. Her eyes were wide and she was breathing heavily.
"You should get home," Giles said, replacing his stake. Most girls, under the circumstance, would have taken his advice and run off. This one acted as though he hadn't said anything at all. "Who are you?" she asked, speaking with an American accent. Giles was taken off guard. "It-it doesn't matter. You just get somewhere safe."
"No, who are you? How did you know that was a vampire?"
He looked at her sceptically. "What do you know about vampires?"
"Probably not as much as you do. I didn't recognize that one." She looked him over. "Are you a Watcher?"
Giles' jaw dropped. "How… what…?"
"You couldn't fit the part more if you had a neon sign over you head."
"Who are you?"
"I'm Jenny."
"Jenny?"
"Just Jenny, yes."
"How do you know about-"
"Do we have to talk here?"
Giles realized that a dark alley probably wasn't the best place to question the girl. "Come with me."
He chose a nearby all-night coffee shop/ diner for their interview. He ordered a tea and offered to get the girl Jenny something too. She ordered fish and chips, soup, a bagel, coffee, and two doughnuts. He was about to protest, but looking at her in the harsh light of the coffee shop, he realized that she probably didn't eat regularly, and kept silent. They sat in a booth by the near the back.
"I never met anyone else who knows about vampires and magic and stuff before."
"Well, generally we try to keep it a secret." He cast his eyes around, making sure that no one heard her.
"Oh, sorry." She said, lowering her voice.
"How do you know?"
"It's kinda my thing. I'm into the occult."
That worried him. "Most people who are `into the occult' don't realize how serious it is. They don't even believe in half the things that are out there."
"Well I do. I know what it's about."
He had a feeling Jenny wasn't telling him something. "And you're not a witch?"
"No."
"How did you learn about these things then?"
She shrugged.
"I'm not going to turn you into the Council if you tell me."
"I'm nothing, okay? I just have a recreational interest," she said, her attention abnormally focused on her soup.
"Why are you here?"
"Cuz you saved my life and wanted to know how I got in on your secret."
"I mean why are you in London?"
"I live here."
"But you obviously weren't born here."
"I got sick of American life."
"So you came to England?"
"Well, I didn't want to learn another language, and Canada is kinda boring."
"And your family was alright with this?"
That hit a nerve. "What does my family have to do with anything?"
"I'm sorry. You just seem somewhat young to be moving to another country."
"I'm twenty-four."
He couldn't keep himself from smiling. "No you're not."
"No one ever believes me, but I am!"
She was getting upset. Giles didn't want to push it. "If you say so." He took a sip of tea. "So, you're not currently involved in anything supernatural?"
"You sound disappointed."
"Well, er, you know, professional interest, and all."
"Mm." She leaned forward over the table. "Although, if you had anything supernatural for me to get involved in, I'm open."
"I… I think not."
She sat back again. "Suite yourself. Anyways, am I ever going to learn the name of the man to whom I owe my life?"
He relaxed a bit. "It's Rupert Giles."
They talked at the coffee shop for about an hour. Jenny said that she had been in England for about a month, and that she worked at a dance studio, as an instructor. Giles told her about his job at the museum, where he worked as assistant curator. They talked about life in London. Giles made a few attempts at asking her what it was like where she was from, but she seemed to want to avoid the subject altogether. Finally, Jenny finished her meal.
"Seeing as it's so dark out," she said, "and the streets, as they are, filled with vampires and other desperate characters, would you mind seeing a young girl to her door?"
"Not at all."
Jenny's apartment was in a run-down part of town. Giles would not have been surprised if he saw a bombed-out shell of a building that had been left since the blitz.
"Are you safe living here?" he asked, as she stood outside her door, searching for her keys.
"Nothing's happened to me yet." Her reply did nothing to assuage Giles' concern.
Before she entered her apartment, Jenny turned to him. "Thank you, for everything." He shrugged sheepishly. She continued. "I guess you could probably tell that I wasn't being completely honest about everything tonight. I'm not going to be. But I want you to know, whatever impression I gave, I really do appreciate what you've done."
Giles was speechless for a moment. "I-I-I c-couldn't have acted differently-
"Still, thank you." And she disappeared into her apartment. As he made his way home, Giles puzzled over the girl. She was an utter and complete mystery. Her behaviour was enough to make any man balk, and yet he felt strangely fond of her already. In fact, he might have felt a new sense of emptiness for having left her, had it not been for the odd notion that he had not seen the last of Jenny.