An Argument At Christmas
It was Christmas Day, and Vastra and Jenny were huddled around the fire in the front room, while Strax was striding around the room, complaining that he was too warm.
"Just take off your jacket, Strax, we don't mind." Jenny persuaded, as she was becoming sick of Strax moaning. She was trying to cuddle up to Vastra, but Strax kept tapping her on the shoulder in order for her to pay attention to him.
"I can't take off my jacket, boy! This is my Butler uniform! If I take it off, then I will be in trouble with my Mistress! Honestly boy, it is a sign of disrespect to take off your own uniform! You should know that!" Strax snapped back. Vastra sighed, before looking up at him.
"Strax, you can take off your uniform. You won't be in trouble, I assure you, however if you continue to whine like that, then you definitely will be punished. And, the punishment will involve some slight 'misplacement' of your beloved grenades." Jenny laughed at Vastra's reply, while Strax just stared at her.
"Yes, Ma'am." Strax murmured before taking off his jacket, and leaving the room to put it on the coat hanger.
"You really do know how to get to him, Ma'am." Jenny said, chuckling slightly. Vastra laughed too and looked at her.
"Of course I do, dear. I just have the power and authority which I use to tease and control people." Jenny smiled at her, before planting her lips against Vastra's for a quick second. Jenny pulled away and started to walk out of the room.
"Where are you going, dear?" Vastra asked, standing up. Jenny turned to face her.
"I'm only going to get my presents for you and Strax." Vastra was confused by this. She tilted her head slightly.
"Presents? Whatever for?" she asked. Jenny looked at her and frowned slightly.
"I hope you haven't forgotten, Ma'am. It's Christmas day and a very special one too. It's our fifth Christmas together. Didn't I tell you not to forget?" Jenny explained. Vastra stood motionless. Oh dear. I can't believe I forgot. This Christmas is so important to Jenny. She's going to be incredibly angry with me… she thought.
"Vastra?" Jenny asked. Vastra brought herself back to reality and looked at Jenny.
"Of course you told me, dear." she replied. Jenny smiled and turned back towards the door before walking up the stairs to their bedroom. Vastra wondered if she had enough time to get Jenny a present. Of course I don't. All the shops will be closed anyway… she thought, before sitting in her favourite chair in front of the fire. She considered what she should say when Jenny found out the truth, however she came to the conclusion that no excuse could make up for what she had done. Jenny had repeatedly reminded her that this Christmas was a special one, and she had forgot all about it. I suppose all I can do is apologise. At that moment, Strax entered the front room with some terribly wrapped presents in his hands. Even Strax didn't forget…
"The boy told me to get my presents for you." He explained. Vastra nodded, and turned towards the fire, her eyes moving frantically at it, as if she was desperately trying to find an answer for her problem in there. Vastra's attention was drawn towards the door as it opened and Jenny appeared on the other side, holding neatly wrapped presents. One was small and rectangular, and the other was big and box-like. Vastra looked at her with guilty eyes before quickly moving her eyes back towards the fire.
"Here are your presents!" Jenny announced, sitting on the couch which faced the fire directly. She gave the small rectangular one to Strax, who was sitting next to her, and she gave the large box-like one to Vastra. Vastra took the present without looking at Jenny.
"Thank you, dear…" she said quietly. It was Strax who first opened his present, tearing the paper apart like a hungry dog would tear meat from a bone. Once the paper was off, the present looked like an ordinary box. Strax opened it, and to his delight, saw many jelly sherbet fancies. He looked at Jenny with excited eyes.
"Don't go eating them all at once, though…" Jenny warned. Strax frowned slightly, before taking one of the jelly sherbet fancies and eating them. He put the box back on the lid and placed it beside him.
"Thank you, boy. I have some presents too, and I believe that you will find them very interesting." Strax replied. He gave the very similar presents to Vastra and Jenny. Jenny and Vastra opened theirs in unison. After the paper was removed, the two ended up with a grenade each in their hand.
"Grenades!" Strax exclaimed, smiling. Jenny smiled at him.
"Thank you, I suppose…" Jenny replied.
"Yes, thank you, Strax." Vastra said, gently putting the grenade back inside the paper, and placing it on the ground.
"You haven't opened my present yet, Ma'am." Jenny said. Vastra looked at her, smiling very slightly. She removed the paper, and opened the box. The content of the box was an expensive-looking dress. It was emerald green with black lace lining the bottom. Vastra stood up and looked at the dress, while stroking the beautiful fabrics.
"Oh, Jenny… It's wonderful…" Vastra looked down at the floor guiltily.
"What's wrong, Ma'am? Don't you like it?" Jenny asked.
"No, of course I like it dear. It's beautiful. It's just…" Vastra replied, while putting the dress back in the box.
"It's just what Ma'am?" Jenny asked, frowning. Vastra looked at Jenny.
"I… I forgot…" Vastra said, looking at Jenny straight in the eye.
"Forgot what Ma'am?"
"I forgot to get you and Strax a present… I forgot it was Christmas… I forgot it was a special Christmas for us…" Vastra said slowly.
"You… you forgot about the most important thing that was going to happen this year?" Jenny's eyes started to go moist, before tears fell onto her cheeks. Vastra walked towards her.
"I am so sorry, Jenny. I truly am. I just forgot, and I know that I shouldn't have, but I did. How can I make it up to you?" She was about to wipe the tears off of her lover's cheeks, before she moved out of the way.
"I don't think you can Ma'am…"
"Jenny-" Vastra started to say, but she was interrupted by Jenny.
"You forgot! How could you forget?! I reminded you day after day about it, and still you forgot! How?! I was looking forward to this day! I thought that we were going to have a lovely Christmas! No arguments, no interruptions, nothing! But no! You had to mess it up, and forget that this day even existed! I can't believe that you would do this to me!" she screamed. And with that, she stormed out of the room, and ran up the stairs. Vastra's eyes followed her. Tears were almost falling down her cheeks. Strax, who looked very uncomfortable, decided to go to his own room, leaving Vastra alone in the front room. She stayed there for a few moments, the fire lighting up her green scales, while thinking about what to do. Then she decided to go up to their room and talk to her there. She walked up the stairs and knocked on the door.
"Jenny, can we please talk about this?" Vastra pleaded. There was no reply. Vastra leant against the wall.
"Please, Jenny. What do you want me to do? I can get you a present tomorrow. You can have anything. Just please, open the door." Suddenly the door opened to reveal Jenny with red cheeks and wet eyes.
"You don't understand, do you?! It's not about the presents! It's about the fact that you forgot about today! You just don't know how much this day meant to me, and how hurt I feel right now! Just leave me alone! I don't want to talk to you!" Jenny shouted, before slamming the door in Vastra's face.
"Jenny…" she said quietly before putting her hands against the door. She cried slightly, but very quietly. She knew that it was no good to wait for Jenny at the moment. She needed to think, so she decided to grab her gloves and veil, and go outside for a walk. She walked out of the door into the cold, crisp weather. Snow was falling gently, making the streets shine bright white in the darkness. She looked to her right, and saw something on the ground a few yards away. Vastra walked towards it, making light footprints in the snow as she went. She bent down and picked up the object. It was a photograph frame with the glass cracked and shattered, but inside it was a creased photograph. Vastra examined it more closely and realised that it was a photo of her and Jenny which the Doctor took a year ago. They were both smiling happily with their hands entwined. Vastra looked up at 13 Paternoster Row, and saw her and Jenny's bedroom window. She looked back down at the photograph. More tears welled up in her eyes. She threw it out of the window… She threw her picture of us out of the window… Vastra sighed. "What have I done?" she whispered to herself. She glanced up at the window again before dropping the broken photograph frame and keeping the photograph.
Vastra re-entered the house, feeling warmer instantly, and went straight towards her study. She found an unused photograph frame in one of her draws near her desk. She placed the creased photograph in the frame, and made sure that it was aligned properly. After giving the photograph frame a full detailed examination, she got some paper and wrapped the frame in it. She placed the object on her desk, and got some paper and a writing instrument. She started to write on the paper:
My dearest Jenny,
I cannot tell you how much I am sorry for what I did. I have no excuse. I should not have forgotten. I cannot bear it to see you hurt any longer. I just hope that you can forgive me, because I love you dearly, and I hope that we can be together again. There is a present here that I found while I was outside having a stroll. I know that you said it was not about the presents, but of course, after that wonderful present you gave me, I could not sit back and not give you something. It's not a lot, but I hope that it will make you feel slightly better. Please open it.
Love Vastra
She folded the note, and wrote Jenny on top, before placing it on top of the present. She walked to the bedroom door and placed the package on the floor in front of it. Vastra knocked on the door lightly.
"Jenny? Please open the door. I have something for you…" Vastra exclaimed. She heard no answer.
"Jenny? Please…" Still no answer. Vastra sighed before wiping her eyes. "Well, I'll be going to the front room now. If you open the door, you'll see something for you. Just please open it when I leave." Then Vastra walked down the stairs into the front room, and sat in her favourite chair. She was silent for a few moments, until she placed her hands to her face and began to sob even more, but still quietly.
Jenny heard Vastra's footsteps die down when she went down the stairs. Jenny sighed, and rubbed her eyes. She considered opening the door, but she didn't want Vastra to be behind it. Vastra forgetting about this day hurt Jenny more than she could say. The fact that your own wife forgot your fifth Christmas, which she knew was very important to you, even being constantly reminded about it was not the happiest thing to hear. After a few more moments of staring at the door, Jenny opened it. She saw a small package on the floor with a note on top in front of her. She looked around to make sure Vastra wasn't around before picking up the objects and shutting the door.
"I thought I told her that it wasn't about the presents…" Jenny muttered angrily to herself before sitting on the bed. She opened the note, and read it aloud quietly to herself.
"Well then, let's see what it is… Honestly, if she believes that I will forgive her straight away after I open this, well then she's wrong…" she muttered. Jenny opened the present, not expecting much. All she saw was a photograph frame turned upside down. A frame… she thought. Is she expecting me to put a picture of us in it to make me feel better? She turned the photograph frame over and saw the picture. The picture that the Doctor had took of them a year ago. The picture that she had threw out of the window. Jenny looked in shock at the picture. She found that? Oh no, I never meant for her to find it. I was just so angry. I wonder how she felt when she found out that I had thrown it out of the window… Jenny continued to look guiltily at the picture. I can't believe I did this… I must be overreacting… She placed the photograph on her bedside table. I need to apologise to Vastra. I should never have shouted at her like that, and I should have never thrown that picture away. I can't believe that I was so upset and angry. It's only one day, and she has hardly forgotten any of our other anniversaries. We still have more to come… At once, Jenny stood up and made her way to the front room where Vastra had said she was. The door was closed, so she knocked slightly. Vastra started to stop crying and wiped the tears away from her face.
"Jenny? Is it you?" she asked. Jenny opened the door. Vastra stood up and walked towards.
"Jenny, dear, I am so sorry about today. I should never have forgotten, and I should have told you straight away, and-" she was cut off by Jenny.
"Shh… It's alright Vastra… I'm the one who should be saying sorry. I overreacted, and I should have never thrown that picture of us out of the window. I am so sorry… I hope that you can forgive me…" Vastra smiled.
"You don't need to apologise…" Jenny smiled back.
"Of course I do, Vastra… I did a terrible thing, and I should have known better."
"No, dear, I should apologise. I made you so hu-" Vastra was cut off again by Jenny, but this time, it was because Jenny had placed her hands on Vastra's face, brought her closer, and kissed her passionately on the lips. The kiss lasted for about a minute, before jenny pulled away and laughed.
"Let's not get into an argument about who should be sorry, Ma'am." She said. Vastra chuckled.
"Of course, my dear. We would not want to get into yet another argument!" They both smiled at each other again and sat down on the sofa, hardly taking their eyes off of each other.
"Let's forget about today Ma'am." Jenny said.
"But I thought that this day was important to you." Vastra replied, quite confused.
"There will always be more anniversaries, Ma'am! Next year in March, it will be our sixth actual anniversary, so there's a reminder for you now!"
"I promise I won't forget, my dear." They both chuckled again and cuddled by the fire for the rest of the evening, enjoying each other's company.