Title: Bad Moon Rising 2/? (NC-17)
Author: TweedEmpress
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Giles/Jenny
Genre: Action/Romance
Summary: Set during ‘Ted’ and beyond. Giles and Jenny are working on their relationship – but something is coming that threatens the future of the whole of Sunnydale.
Timeline: Season Two, spoilers up to ‘Passion’
Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with BtVS (unfortunately). Some dialogue is lifted from ‘Passion’. Any original characters and ideas are mine. 
Distribution: FanFiction.Net,ODD, Mystic Muse, Ms Calendar’s Group Site
Notes: Thank you so much, Riley and Katherine for doing such an amazing job at beta-ing.
Dedication: To Anne, for all her hard work on our site and giving us a beautiful new home for all our fic!

Jenny had taken the long route back to her apartment. She had considered stopping for coffee, but decided against it in the end - it was just a way of avoiding going home. The traffic in Sunnydale after dark was always light and Jenny felt almost peaceful simply cruising, gazing idly at her surroundings. Until one car, parked under a streetlight, grabbed her attention. Giles’ car. He must be patrolling the park. Jenny slowed, a million thoughts screaming at her and then she pulled over, parking her car behind his. It was going to be now or never.

Theair seemed thick and for a moment, her breathing felt constricted. Jenny shook her head, trying to clear it and then felt a cool breeze on her skin. Ridiculous, she thought to herself, allowing her nerves to get the better of her like that. She walked through the park cautiously, aware that it wasn’t the safest place to be at night and wondered how easy it would be to find Giles in the dark parkland. Her question was answered a few moments later when she saw a dark figure making its way around the edge of the park a little ahead of her. Even from this distance, she could see the moonlight reflecting off his glasses. Hugging the foliage, Jenny started walking more quickly, trying to keep himin sight. He disappeared around a large tree and Jenny moved forward - a large cross was suddenly thrust into her face and she gasped.

‘Yeah, I get that reaction from men all the time!’ she managed, wryly.

Giles stared at her in amazement.

‘Jenny! What are you doing here?’

‘I saw your car back there. I wanted to apologize.’

Giles looked slightly uneasy.

‘Well, now is... not the best time to go ta...’

‘No, no, please, please, let me, just, let me get this out,’ Jenny cut him off- she had been bracing herself for this for nearly a week and she wasn’t about to turn back now. She blew out a breath and then looked into his eyes. ‘I wasso ... harsh the other day. I am so sorry. I mean, I know how badly you must feel about putting me in danger before, and...’

Jenny trailed off. Giles didn’t look exactly ecstatic about her apology. Infact, he was staring past her and was looking rather strained.

‘Imagine how I must feel now,’ he said weakly.

Jenny turned, puzzled, and saw a vampire - in full game face - standing behind them.

It growled.

She couldn’t quite believe that this was happening. It charged at them and Jenny let out a scream, automatically stepping out of its way. The vampire ran past her and crashed straight into Giles - it grabbed him, pulling them both to the ground. Jenny stood, paralysed, watching as Giles held the cross in the vampire’s face, even while it seemed to be strangling him. She becameaware that he was shouting at her.

‘My bag!’

Galvanised into action, Jenny stooped and began to search frantically through the bag for something she could use. A lot of stakes, some lethal-looking knives…She glanced up in time to see Giles kick the vampire off him before scrambling to his feet.

More things that she couldn’t even put a name to…several sickening thuds came from the direction of the fight…holy water, and then…

A crossbow.

Jenny pulled it out, her hands shaking slightly as she fitted the bolt. She had seen them do this before, Giles and Buffy. It didn’t look too hard. Giles was locked with the vampire and they kept turning - she couldn’t get a clear shot. It seemed to go on forever and Jenny didn’t dare blink, still keeping the crossbow raised, her finger on the trigger.

Andthen they stopped, the vampire’s back exposed.

Jenny grinned.

‘Say goodnight, Big Guy.’

Thebolt let fly.

And, somehow, they had turned again, and the bolt was buried in Giles’ back…

‘Oh, God! Oh no!’

Jenny stared, horror-struck, numbness sweeping through her.

‘This isn’t happening. This can’t be happening, Goddess, what have I done?’

The vampire watched Giles for a moment: he was trying to grab hold of the bolt, doubled over in pain. It turned to her, its demonic face even more contorted by laughter.

‘Nice shot, lady!’

Jenny grabbed Giles’ bag again, feverishly searching for another bolt: she kept glancing up, willing Giles to hang on until she could help him. Blood was thundering in her ears and her fingers still felt thick and numb. She looked up again and saw Giles wrench the bolt out of his back.

‘There has to be another one, I have to find another one… Oh, thank the deities!’

Jenny stood up, just in time to see that Giles had plunged the bolt into the vampire’s chest. He let go of the bolt and the vampire fell, exploding in a shower ofash and blood-coloured dust.

Jenny let out a breath of relief, dropping the crossbow with a heavy thud. Giles sank slowly to the ground, one hand pressed against the wound in his back. Jennywas rooted to the spot, trying to digest what had just occurred, only able to move when she saw Giles pull a handkerchief out of his pocket and press it against his back. She approached him cautiously, half expecting him to tell her to leave him alone, and then, tentatively, crouched beside him.

‘Oh, God, I am so sorry!’ Jenny shook her head, staring miserably at him.

‘I think I'm all right,’ Giles replied reasonably.

‘No, you're just in shock.’

‘Thanks to me. I shot him. I can’t believe I shot him.’

‘No, no, really, I, er, I don't think it went in too deep.’ He made an attemptto lift the mood, anything to take the look of guilt off her face. ‘The...advantages of layers of tweed. Better than Kevlar.’

Giles was barely aware of the pain - he couldn’t quite believe that Jenny was actually here with him. He lifted the handkerchief off the wound and Jenny saw the bright smear of blood. She had never been very good with blood and the sight made her feel slightly ill.

‘Oh, okay, all right, we have to get you to the hospital.’

‘Yes, yes,’ he sounded distracted, as though he would agree to anything shesaid. Jenny knew enough about first aid to know that he was, in fact, in shock, and probably more seriously injured than he realised. They had to get out of the park.

‘C'mon.’

Shestood, took hold of Giles’ arm and started to pull him up.

‘Ow! Ow! Ow! Oh!’

‘Sorry! Sorry!’

‘Let's move slowly, shall we?’ Giles said patiently. He was overjoyed that Jenny had decided to come back to him and was determined that she wouldn’t regret the decision. If, that is, he actually survived her attempts to help him…

‘Sorry! Okay...’

Jenny moved around to his other side, slipping his arm around her shoulders to support him. She sighed with relief when it didn’t seem to cause him any further pain.

‘Okay...’

They started to limp away, and the sheer absurdity of the whole situation - of the whole past few weeks - hit her and Jenny began to laugh.

‘What? Wha-what is it?’

Jenny looked up at him, wondering exactly what she had got herself into, but blissfully aware that she didn’t really care.

‘Some night, huh?’

Giles snorted slightly.

‘Yeah, you really know how to woo a girl back, don't ya?’

It was so easy. So easy to fall back into their comfortable, flirtatious banter. Giles laughed and then immediately regretted it as the pain in his back seared through him.

‘Ow! Ow!’

‘Hospital,’ Jenny stated, all amusement gone.

‘Yes.’

He leant on her a little more heavily, far more grateful for her support than he would have cared to say. It felt so good to feel her arm around him, to have her pressed against him like that. It was only the burning pain in his back that prevented him from pulling her into his arms. But there would be time for that later. He contented himself with dropping a kiss on top of her dark head asthey made their way, slowly, out of the park.

Getting Giles to the hospital was not, however, as easy as Jenny had anticipated. The first obstacle occurred when they reached the cars.

‘I’m quite all right to drive,’ he said, leaning against the bonnet of his car. ‘Just give me a minute.’

‘Rupert, you’re barely all right to walk. I’ll drive. We can take my car.’

He frowned. ‘What’s wrong with my car?’

Shestared at him incredulously. ‘I cannot believe you want to have this conversation now. Look, I will drive you to the hospital and then I will take you home. But if you think for one minute I am going to attempt it in that,’ she pointed at the Citroen, ‘then you have another thing coming.’

‘That is a perfectly serviceable-’

‘Rupert!’ Jenny took a deep breath. ‘Will you get in the car before you bleed to death on the damn sidewalk? Please?’

Thelast word was spoken in a softer tone and Jenny’s eyes were glittering. Giles sighed - the threat of tears would do it every time - and meekly walked over to Jenny’s Beetle.

‘We were practising for the next Medieval Fayre,’ Jenny informed the intern.

Theyoung man’s eyes widened. ‘Medieval Fayre?’

‘Uh-huh.’ She jerked her head towards Giles. ‘He’s Robin Hood.’

Sheheard a stifled groan and knew that he was rolling his eyes, but she kept her gaze on the medic.

‘Right,’ he said slowly, his eyes flicking over to Giles nervously. ‘Well, if you’d like to come this way, I’ll see what we can do for you. You, er, you seem to be building up quite a file with us,’ he continued, as Giles stood up gingerly. ‘What is it you do, exactly? Martial Arts instructor or something?’

‘I am employed as a high-school librarian,’ Giles replied stiffly.

‘Oh, er…oh. Who knew books could be so dangerous, huh?’

There was a faint glimmer in Giles’ eyes as he followed the intern down the corridor.

‘You’d be surprised.’

‘Robin Hood?’

‘Well, what did you want me to say?’ Jenny glanced at him briefly before turning her gaze back to the road.

‘That was the best you could come up with?’

‘Well, I didn’t see you jumping in with some brilliant idea for how you ended up with a hole in your back.’

‘I wouldn’t have told them anything! Medieval Fayre,’ he added under his breath.

‘Yeah, well, just be glad I didn’t go with the ‘you fell out of a treeand accidentally impaled yourself on a branch while trying to rescue a kitten’ story.’

Giles stared at her aghast. ‘You wouldn’t have.’

Jenny smirked.

‘Just try me.’

‘All right, all right. Maid Marian.’

‘Are you always this much of a pain in the ass to take to the hospital, Rupert?’

‘I don’t like hospitals,’ he replied darkly.

‘Yeah, well, you might be back there before the night is over,’ she responded, grinding both her teeth and the gears.

‘Are you all right?’ she asked anxiously, noticing that Giles was swaying on his feet as she unlocked his front door.

‘Yes. I-I, er, think the d-drugs they insisted in injecting into me are kicking in. Why do they always do that, I wonder?’

‘What, kick in?’ Jenny asked, flicking the light switch.

Giles grinned at her amiably. ‘No. Inject one with endless concoctions.’

She couldn’t help but smile back and then guided him over to his sofa. Hesat down heavily; removing his glasses and took a few deep breaths.

‘Can I get you something?’

He raised his head, his green eyes focusing on her and then smiled slightly.

‘I-I wouldn’t say no to tea. If it’s not too much trouble.’

‘Fine just stay there.’

He watched her go into the kitchen, grateful that his head had stopped spinning now that they were no longer moving.

Jenny searched through a few cupboards, easily finding cups and then, finally, the tea. Assam, Ceylon, Earl Grey… She half expected to find a special blend specifically for people who had just been shot with a bolt. Over the low roar of the boiling kettle, she heard the telephone ringing, but before she could ask Giles if he wanted her to answer it, it stopped. She couldn’t tell ifhe was talking to someone or not and only when the kettle finally flicked itself off could she hear fragments of the conversation.

‘…Both all right?

Jenny put the tea together swiftly, half listening to what he was saying.

‘Good Lord! Ah, yes. I-I see.’

There was a long pause and Jenny placed the tray softly on the coffee table.

‘No, I was at the hospital.’

Sheheard a squawk from the other end of the phone.

‘I’m fine, Buffy, really. Yes… It was just a slight accident while patrolling.’

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

‘Yes, I am aware of that. But it really is nothing. And Je-, er, Miss Calendar is herewith me.’

Giles flashed a smile at her.

‘Are you sure that there isn’t anything I can…? Yes, all right. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Good-night, Buffy.’

‘Is she okay?’ Jenny asked when he hung up the phone.

‘Yes. It seems that the man Buffy killed was actually a, er, robot.’

Jenny stared at him, wondering for a moment if the drugs had kicked-in more than she’d thought.

‘A very advanced robot. I suppose you would call it more of an, um, android. Quite fascinating, really…’ He trailed off and she saw his eyes wander to his books. Jenny caught hold of his face and forced him to look at her.

‘Nuh-uh. You’re drinking your tea and then you are going straight to bed. It can be fascinating in the morning.’

Giles held her gaze and then nodded. ‘Thank-you, for what you did tonight, Jenny. I-I know that I don’t make the easiest patient in the world.’

She shrugged. ‘It was the least I could do.’

‘You don’t have to stay. I promise I won’t start researching anything.’

‘Oh, I know you’re not!’ Jenny replied, one hand still caressing the side of his face. ‘I’m staying here tonight to make sure that you don’t.’

‘Jenny, that really isn’t necessary,’ he protested.

‘Don’t start arguing with me, Rupert, or I’ll have to start calling you Snobby again. I’m staying.’

‘All right.’

Jenny raised her eyebrows in surprise. She had expected this to go on for a few rounds, but now she was developing a sneaking suspicion that Rupert Giles was simply a big pushover.

He had found a clean shirt for her to wear and she had accepted it, guessing this probably wasn’t the time to tell him that she normally didn’t wear anything to sleep in. Jenny had dropped his torn bloodstained shirt into the trash witha shudder and another pang of guilt. She emerged from the bathroom, switchingthe lights off as she moved through the living room, so that the only light came from the loft above. When she reached his bedroom, she found Giles was already lying on the bed, one hand pressed against his left side.

‘Are you sure you should be lying on your back?’

Hiseyes flickered open. ‘Hmmm. Pressure. Doesn’t hurt so much.’

Herdark eyes were huge. ‘Are you in a lot of pain?’

Giles laughed softly. ‘I’m not really sure, to be honest. It’s those injections.’

Jenny hovered at the edge of the bed, swamped in his shirt, and felt about sixteen. Giles stretched out a hand to her.

‘Come here.’

Thesheets felt wonderfully cool as she slid between them, and then found the warmth of his body. He pillowed her head in the hollow of his shoulder and Jenny arranged herself carefully and sighed happily against his bare skin. Giles was playing with her hair, twirling the silky strands between his fingers.

‘I’m glad you came back,’ he said softly.

‘So am I, England. So am I.’

Soft grey light, barely illuminating the room…a gentle, drumming roar…it seemed to be just above her head…warm flesh and soft hair pressed against her cheek. She was so comfortable, surrounded by warmth and held by strong arms. As consciousness slowly penetrated her sleep-addled mind, Jenny realised that this was the first proper night’s sleep she had had for three weeks.

‘Listen, Jenny, it’s raining.’

Giles spoke softly, barely raising his voice.

‘How long have you been awake?’ she asked, propping herself on one elbow to look at him.

‘Not long,’ he replied. ‘I was enjoying a taste of heaven.’

Shesmiled sleepily ‘Heaven?’

‘Indeed. Early morning, listening to the rain and I’m holding an extraordinarily beautiful woman in my arms and in my bed. What more could I ask for?’

Jenny gazed at him in amazement: for all of his self-conscious stammering, Giles could sweet-talk with the best of them when he wanted to. She ran her fingers gently over his mouth before replacing them with her lips. He tangled one hand in her hair, pulling her closer to him, demanding entry to her mouth. Jenny willingly obliged, groaning with pleasure. When she pulled away, breathless and flushed, she found his eyes were fixed on her, smoky with desire. Jenny recaptured his mouth, manoeuvring herself until she straddled him, feeling his hands running up and down her back. Memories of the previous night began to filter through and Jenny suddenly tore herself away.

‘Your injury…!’

Dark, glistening blood on white fabric, his suppressed cries of pain…

Giles smiled up at her, his hands were resting on her thighs, tracing lazy circles.

‘What injury?’

Jenny stared down at him, trying to read his thoughts in his face and through his eyes. Slowly, she raised her hands to undo the buttons of the shirt she was wearing, but he knocked them away. For a split second she thought that she had mis-judged him, but then he undid the buttons half-way down, slipping his hands in to caress her back and the soft, taut flesh across her stomach. She arched into his touch and Giles sat up, gently nibbling her earlobe and then covering every inch of her neck with slow kisses. She longed for him to caress her more intimately, but his hands never strayed, only occasionally brushing againstthe underside of her breasts, but never really touching them. Jenny’s soft moans became louder: the combination of his skilful hands roaming over her body, his soft lips and the slight chafing of his unshaven cheeks against her skin were driving her crazy.

She murmured his name, wrapping her arms around him to press him closer to her.

‘What? What do you want, my love?’

‘I want your love! I want you.’

‘Now?’

Shenearly wept with frustration.

‘Yes!’

He cupped her face with one hand, gazing steadily into her eyes, and then kissed her,his other hand covering her breast. Dexterous fingers teased the nipple and then he broke away from her lips, taking her other breast in his mouth, through thethin fabric of the shirt. His skin was so warm - she could feel the heat rising from him and his erection pressing between her legs. She pressed herself againsthim, trying to alleviate something of the deep, throbbing ache she had awakened within him. His hands trailed down her sides, there was the sound of fabric tearing and the flimsy piece of silk that had been her underwear was thrown aside. Jenny needed no more encouragement to begin to remove his pyjama bottoms. Her fingers brushed against the surgical dressing on his back, but as Giles didn’t seem to be bothered by the wound, she decided to ignore them.

‘I’m not on…oh, Goddess, Rupert…’

‘T-try the b-bedside table,’ his voice came indistinctly from the hollow betweenher collarbones. Jenny leant over and retrieved one of the foil packets, pausing to look at him questioningly.

Giles flushed slightly. ‘Y-you, er… You had said that you wanted to stay in, um, before…’

Jenny didn’t trust herself to speak: instead, she leaned forward to kiss him. He felt so hard, so warm in her hands, even through the thin covering of latex…

Giles’ hands were on her hips, guiding her to him, his eyes wandering, adoringly, over her body. Jenny closed her eyes as she sank onto him, gasping as he filled her completely. She felt his hands slip upwards until they were resting lightly between her shoulder blades and she knew he was waiting for her, allowing her to do whatever she wanted. The rush of emotion was so strong she could hardly breathe and Jenny opened her eyes, knowing she would find his fixed on her.She smiled slightly at him, twining her arms around his neck and then buried her head in his shoulder as she began to ride him. His arms held more tightly, pressing her harder against him and thrusting upwards slightly as her movements became more erratic. Their breathing and the soft cries grew louder, filling the loft and the quiet apartment until they mingled with the muffled roar of the rain drumming overhead and both were drowning in the pleasure of the other.

Thelight had grown, slowly but steadily, brighter and Jenny screwed her eyes shut against this invader, concentrating, instead on the sound of Giles’ heartbeatunder her ear and his hand tracing patterns on her back. She placed a kiss over his heart before resuming raking her nails through his chest-hair.

‘What are you thinking?’ he enquired gently.

‘Not a lot. Don’t think I’m capable of much thinking at the moment.’

He chuckled. ‘Glad to hear it.’

Jenny opened her eyes, resigning herself to the fact that daylight was, in fact, a reality. Another new day, and all her clothes were in her apartment, on the other side of town… And Giles’ car was still at the park.

Giles stared, bemused, as his lover wrenched herself out of his arms and started a frantic search around the room.

‘Jenny?’

‘Okay, this can work. I can either drop you at the park and you can get your car…’

‘Jenny.’

She located the shirt he had peeled off her at some point and pulled it on.

‘Or we can drive to my apartment, I can change-’

‘Um, Jenny-’

He watched her with growing amusement.

‘You can get your car after school. What time is it?’

‘I couldn’t give a damn what time it is.’

‘Never mind. Huh? Did you say something?’

Giles smiled at her lazily.

‘Jenny, it’s Saturday.’

Shestared at him for a moment. ‘Oh.’ A smile spread over her face. ‘Oh!’

Theshirt dropped back to the floor and the air was filled with soft laughter as she slid back into the bed.

NEXT