*****

After another day at Sunnydale High, all Jenny wanted was to lay back; maybe have a bubble bath and a bottle of champagne. Working with teenagers on a daily basis was starting to affect her. She pitied Rupert Giles, he was forced to deal with them closer than her...

Of course, if she wanted her family honoured, she had to stay close to Angelus; it also meant being close to the slayer, which meant dealing with her friends too. Willow Rosenberg was fine, most of the time she remained silent and unobstructive; Alexander Harris was a goof and Cordelia Chase, well, she didn't belong with them... She couldn't understand it really, but it wasn't her place either.

Walking slowly to her door, she heard the distinctive sound of a phone ringing. She wondered who might be calling her, as long as it wasn't a salesman... Quickly fishing her keys from her purse, she hurried to get in and managed to pick the phone up before the fifth ring.

"Hello?" She said, trying to get her breath under control. Plopping down on the couch.

"Not interrupting anything I hope, Jenna..." a female voice said, in a familiar, knee-weakening way. It caused her to gasp in surprise.

"Jenny, it's Jenny Calendar now; remember?" she commented in return, taking her shoes off and massaging a sore foot.

"Oh yeah, my mistake JENNA..." the voice continued teasingly, then rich laughter followed.

"Are you calling for a reason? Technical problems with the database?" the brunette teacher asked, already imagining possible problems and solutions.

"No, it's working fine so far. Bosses are really satisfied with it; marvelous program they say. Such a shame you to have your own agenda, could have found a place for you in the firm..."

"So, if there's no problem with it then you're calling for info. I've already told you all I know, the Watcher is being wary and Angelus remains souled..." She was tired of reporting weekly to her former employers, but that had been the deal. After all, they had helped finding the ancient vampire.

"Why do you always have to talk about him, or work?" the woman asked in a purry voice; the words pot and kettle suddenly popping in Jenny's head. It was funny, in a sad way, how their work had both united and separated them.

"Is there anything else besides it?" Jenny bitterly asked; angry with herself for letting the other woman still affect her.

"I can understand your anger, I keep missing you, mostly by night; things haven't been the same since you left." the voice assured her, bringing back a flood of memories.

"I don't." Jenny firmly stated, but she was lying. She missed her lover too, missed even breath against her neck; the sound of heels approachig with a cadence, the suits, the incesant cases, the candlelit dinners... Sleeping among the other woman's arms.

"Bosses say Angelus will lose his soul soon..." was said into the auricular, a tinge of boredom in the voice.

"I knew there was a reason for you to call, it's always the same with you...!" *Your damn work is more important than me, than us!* Jenny bit back the rest of her sentence, they had gone over the same discussion so many times.

"I'm calling because I care, my little Kalderesh girl, they have nothing to do with it. Even if they know about us..." *Us, there was never an us, let alone when that cocky lawyer appeared. You were eager to please him...*

"And your boyfriend?"

"He was not my boyfriend, he's just a big baby; brilliant and evil but just a baby. You should know better. I don't do lawyers, just technopagans." Jenny could never understand why she needed the other woman to say it, even now she was unable to explain why the young man irked her so much.

"That's rich coming from you, are you telling me you never masturbate?" For an unknown reason, it came out wrong and sounded more like a valid question rather than sarcasm. Deep laughter reverberated inside her head a few seconds after it had ended.

"The kitten was claws... just the way I like them." She couldn't help it, kitten had been the pet name the other woman gave her. And Jenny had let her. It brought a smile to her lips still.

"Look, I'm really tired and if you called for a reason, tell me now so I can go take a bath." She dismissively commented, not willing to let her feelings out.

"Prophecy involved, bosses want you to keep your eyes open and I want you to take care. As far as I know, evil Angelus is not nice to be around. And... don't fall for the Watcher, we both know your weakness for the English ones..."

"I won't and it's not because they're English, it's the manners." she replied softly; she had always praised her lover because of them. With her, Jenny felt like some fairytale lady.

"Sure, the manners. Mine are perfect, right?"

"Yes..." she admitted, hers were perfect.

"Anyway, I guess you're tired..." she said, and Jenny could imagine her pinching the base of her nose and rearranging her hair, checking no one was around.

"I am... Thanks for calling." Her feet no longer sore, she had spent their entire conversation workig on them.

"Sure. Jenna?" Jenny knew then why she couldn't forget the other woman; she was addicted to the shy part of her. The one which would make her blush when they were on bed; the one saying her name in a wavering voice.

"Yes?"

"I love you..." the other woman whispered and hung immediately.

"Love you too, Lilah..." the brunette woman whispered back, but the dial tone had already started.

~fin~