Graduating from Blue Ridge university at the top of her class was something Jenny had expected, but not something she had wanted to be so bitter-sweet. Finishing with her degree in wizarding literature, she really wasn't sure what to do next with the whole world in front of her. School had always been easy, but the real world definitely seemed a trifle more complicated. There were no bonus assignments or teachers to get on the good sides of. It was even weirder being at home while Sera was still in school. Struggling only a little with her focus, Jenny began writing her first book after graduation, giving up and throwing the whole thing out after getting half way done. It would seem fiction writing wasn't her calling.

Starting work shortly after giving up on her book attempt, Jenny got a job doing articles for a wizarding newspaper in Michigan. It was fine, almost even perfect, as she discovered that she much preferred to write non-fiction pieces. Beginning to compile poems for another attempt at a book, her world took another strange turn when Sera finally graduated as well. She had known for a while that the younger girl intended to go abroad of France once she was done university, but Jenny had been trying not to think about it too much. She had even been preparing herself to go, bags packed and all, before she backed out at the last minute.

Regretfully, she told Sera she couldn't just leave the country, or Ella and their family for that matter. Things were different for Sera, who hadn't spoken to her father in years and who had loving grandparents in Europe just dying to help her out. Terrified of such a big transition, especially without her sister and into a non-English speaking city, Jenny stayed put at home. It hurt her to let Sera go, even if she went amicably and they stayed in touch as friends, and she told herself again and again that people didn't stay together forever. Especially not high school sweethearts.

Once Sera was gone, and the reality of the situation had set in, Jenny returned to her same routine. She kept her job with the paper, and moved out of her mother and father's house shortly after, getting her own apartment not too far away. Living on her own, and working full time with the paper, Jenny didn't really have much time for romance other than a few dates. She met Thomas Holmes just after her twenty second birthday, and they hit it off immediately. He was entirely a muggle through and through, but handsome, polite, and mostly the perfect gentleman. Sometimes he could be a bit controlling, maybe even a bit aggressive, but they were things she tried not to think about. Things were good, or at least decent. She decided early on not to tell Tom about her magical ability, it was really an unnecessary thing to explain to a whole other world to someone who didn't need to know, and it was a surprisingly easy thing to keep under wraps. Having muggle parents certainly helped.

Just short of a year of dating, Jenny discovered that she was pregnant. Anxious at first, especially about telling Tom, her anxiety quickly translated into excitement. She had always wanted to have children, regardless of who she was with, and she couldn't have really been happier. Like she had sort have expected, however, her boyfriend was much less enthusiastic about the news. Married to Tom in the summer, Jenny's baby was born shortly into the following fall. She named him Chase, and named him after her father for his middle name. Which, naturally, on served to annoy Tom more.

Since finding out she was pregnant, there had been a definite change in Tom that she just couldn't deny. She had barely been able to convince him out of a paternity test, and even then, he was becoming more and more distant with each passing day. Even though he was distant and a little mean, even though she tried to tell herself she was just being hormonal, Tom never raised a hand to her while she was pregnant. But he began to not long after Chase was born. Unnecessarily shoves in private and roughly grabbing and squeezing her wrist in public quickly escalated into full on slaps and then punches behind closed doors. Jenny had quit her job at the paper after finding out she had been pregnant, and she only became more and more happy that she had. Even with magic to help hide bruises and black eyes, keeping up the facade was tiring.

Keeping everything inside mostly and just dealing with whatever happened, Jenny lived for two years with Tom beating her mercilessly. Other than covering up, she barely lifted her wand, just figuring that it was better he come after her than their son. Most of her time was spent with her son, her sister and brother-in-law, and with a few scarce friends from school. Chase was the apple of her eye, something that had never ever changed since he was born, and she was really happy to be able to stay home with him every single day even if she paid the price in the end. She could take whatever came her way, horrible as it was, if it meant that her baby was all right. Generally speaking, Tom ignored Chase's presence, which was fine by her. Despite being a little sad about the lack of a proper father in her son's life, it was just something else she was ready to deal with. If he wouldn't have a father, then she would have to be twice the mother.

Jenny considered leaving Tom several times, but always seemed to back at the last minute every time. There was always an excuse or a reason why it wasn't the right time. Even though each time that he put his hands to her seemed to be worse than the last, she was unsure what to do. Rocking the boat wouldn't help anybody, and it was easy to remind herself that she was doing what she had to do. She wasn't particularly happy, but she did her best to act like she was, inside just dying to tell Ella, or someone, anyone, what was really going on. It was almost as easy to hide the bruises from her friends and family as it was to hide the magic from Tom.

When Chase turned two, however, something happened that Jenny really wished could have waited. Walking into his bedroom one afternoon, she had found several of the toys he was playing with just sort of levitating in the air around his head, with him just grinning wildly in the middle. Though she grinned right back, and though she really was excited, her heart also dropped. Unlike her, there was no way Chase was going to be able to hide any of his magic. She had never even really spoken to Tom about her school, or magic at all, even though they had been married for a few years. It had been easier to not mention at first, and by now it was too late to bring up as a by the way subject. Terrified of what he might do if Chase performed anything in front of his father, Jenny just waited anxiously to see what would happen next.

For the first time in her life though, Jenny found it hard to just wait and see what would happen next. It wasn't her this time, but rather Chase. She couldn't just wait and see what Tom could do to her son. Finally giving in, far too late, Jenny decided to break her silence. Telling Ella and Hendrix about Tom was one of the hardest things she ever had to do, but not something that she regretted. Once it was in the open, off her chest, and she could finally cry about it, she felt surprisingly better.

Despite protests from her sister and brother-in-law, Jenny knew that she had to go back to at least get enough of her things to move out of the house with Tom. She begged them to keep Chase for just a little while, she would go and get her things and come back as quick as she could. She didn't want to intrude on her family, feeling incredibly bad about just showing up on their doorstep, and while she was packing her bags in her bedroom, she considered not even going back. It would probably have been easier on everyone if she just took Chase and left all together, at least until Tom went away. There was really no way around it; he was Chase's dad and he wasn't going anywhere.

While she was packing, distracted by thoughts of desertion, she hadn't really been paying to her attention. Tom, home from work, stood behind her in the doorway for just a few moments before advancing on her. Fighting back for one of the few rare times in her marriage, Jenny quickly realized that for all of her vigor and motherly instincts, she was really no match for him. It would seem that her husband didn't take kindly to her packing up and trying to leave him behind his back. She had been sure that it was over, his hands around her neck, and flashes of darkness seeming to flicker in her vision. For a moment, she had been sure she was going to have a fit, something that had begun happening to her more and more often since Tom had begun hitting her.

Just when she was positive that she was out of breath, that the end had to be near, she almost welcomed it. But then her fingers grazed the end of her wand, and she thought immediately of Chase. She's unsure of what exactly happened, the next few moments seemed to go by in a flash, but soon enough she was gasping for air again and Tom was laying on the floor, entirely motionless. Her throat felt raw, and she hadn't really been able to do anything except cry. When she felt someone put their arms around her, strong arms and extremely familiar, she almost screamed, sure that Tom had gotten back up.

She was more than just a little relieved to find that the arms actually belonged to Charlie, and though she had no idea where he had come from, she was extremely happy to see him. She had been trying to formulate a plan, they had to go somewhere, anywhere, but it seemed that Charlie already had a plan. He seemed insistent on turning himself in, taking the fall for her, for killing Tom. She could go back to Chase, and just move on. She couldn't even look at Tom's body, at what she had done, even if he had deserved it. How was she supposed to survive in prison? She was reluctant at first to let him do it, extremely so, but she knew that it was the right thing to do, for Chase. There was no way to thank Charlie for what he had done for her, and her son, and for giving her a second chance at living again.

With Tom gone, life became much more bearable. Moving into a small apartment with just her and Chase with the help of her parents, Jenny began to relax, feeling and acting more like herself. She didn't go back to work, but began writing again. She finished her first real book, a guide on parenting, and it was published later the same year to rather rave reviews. It brought more than enough money to get them by for a little while. It was only three months after Tom's death that Jenny received a call from Sera, who had recently returned to the states from France at long last. She had heard about Tom and the entire situation from Ella, and though Jenny felt a little uncomfortable discussing it, she knew that if there was anyone she could open up to other than her sister and Charlie, then Sera had to be in.

They met for coffee at first, but the rest quickly became history. They talked about everything, everything they had been through, what they had done, hadn't done, what had happened. They were both older, both with a kid each, but it didn't really feel like anything had changed. She felt like she was in high school again, except for the toddlers on their knees. Jenny was soon enough wondering how or why she had ever given up on them, and let the younger girl get away. There was no denying the feelings between them, even if the two of them had pushed them aside in favor of their educations, careers, and everything else.

She was even more delighted with Sera's daughter Maddie, and the feeling seemed to be mutual. She took a quick liking to the little girl, and Chase also took an immediate liking to her as well, which couldn't have pleased Jenny more. The two were like siblings right from the get-go, which really was quite convenient.

Dating at first, there was barely any time gone by at all before Sera and Maddie were moving into Jenny and Chase's apartment, and it wasn't long at all after that before they were moving into a place big enough for the four of them. Jenny was still writing, and Sera had an excellent job with the League of American Wizards, more than enough to get them by and then some. Choosing not to get married a second time, Jenny kept her own maiden name but she made it a priority that Sera adopt Chase; changing his last name from Holmes to Parry-Rousseau. More than anything, she was happy to give her son a proper family, and to have one all of her own. Even if it took much longer than planned.