Jenny woke up with a jerk. Thunder and lightning broke the silence of their bedroom, illuminating the room like it was daylight. She stretched, uselessly, an arm in search of her companion.
"Where could she be at that time of night?", she wondered.
She searched under the bed. Her trusty Katana was always there when she needed it. She grabbed it and held it to her chest. She stood up from the bed, put her nightgown on without making any noise and slowly opened the door to her room.
The corridor was dimly illuminated by an oil-lamp. She stood still, listening for any sound. No sound came from the lower floors. She gathered her courage and walked down the steps to the living room. She stood in the shadows till she reached the big greenhouse and finally she saw her.
The sharp and tensed profile of Vastra's face wasn't enough to make Jenny loose her concentration. She didn't want to scare her with her unexpected presence, she could have thought she was being attacked and she could have hurt them both.
She drew nearer and finally made herself known. When she reached her wife, she put a hand on her shoulder.
«I didn't see you in bed and I got worried.» her voice a whisper in the night.
Vasta woke from her silent musings.
«Forgive me, Darling, just.. thoughts.» Jenny knew all too well her wife's worries ever since they had had to leave Trenzalore. The Doctor had disappeared in his vortex and they had had to take leave quickly not to risk their lives. That very same day Jenny had already risked it thrice. Since then they had not heard from him.
«You should rest.» She tried to convince her.
Vastra, who didn't seem to have heard her, took her hand and kissed her palm.
Jenny was about to kneel at her feet, but the other woman made her gently sit on her knees.
«Jenny.» the teary quality of her voice, if only lizards could cry, and the pain in Vastra's eyes were enough for her wife to know how much, in that moment, her presence was essential.
She held Vastra close as if she was in infant and she caressed her head softly, followed by soft kisses on the more prominent ridges. Gently she lifted the face of the woman under her so she could see herself in deep blue eyes. She loved her more in that moment than she had ever had. It was a hard time and they needed to be close together. Vastra, always so strong and caring, seemed to have lost her lifeblood, and it was now the little human's turn to hold her and comfort her.
They both closed their eyes and kissed slowly, tenderly. They held each other as if they wanted to merge into one another, caressing their cheeks and brushing their lips.
The fire in the fireplace was slowly dying onto itself and the women seated on the big rattan armchair shook with cold.
«Let's go back to bed.» Suggested Jenny whispering on Vastra's lips, and this time she nodded yes.
They stood up together and, hand in hand, the moved back to the first floor where their pristine bed with crumpled sheets was waiting for them.
Kisses, softly whispered words and caresses followed all night. The desperation for the loss of their best friend made their act yearning and agonizing, almost like they didn't want to lose each other in that long night. On Jenny's back were the long red lines left by Vastra's fingers, her neck bitten softly in more than one place, their whimpers higher, some of the Silurian's scales rumpled.
They fell asleep and it was almost dawn, exhausted in each other's arms.
Vastra's face finally lay rested, breathing in the sweet scent of Jenny's hair, the human's head resting on her chest.
That morning the sky had lost most of its clouds, and a soft spring sun caressed the two slumbering women.
It all happened in a second. Strax violently opened the door, uncaring of the women's nakedness and, with his trusty rifle held in his hands, he started rambling confusedly.
The blush and embarrassment of Jenny who was trying to cover both herself and her wife, who was apparently unperturbed by their nakedness, wouldn't let her concentrate on the meaningless words of the Sontaran.
«Living room.. back… granate… new… quick! Quick!» It was only when Vastra called his name loudly that Strax realized the situation and with his gaze lowered, and was it embarrassment perhaps?, he closed the door muttering «Sorry Madame… boy…»
Recovered from the brusque and unusual awakening, and after they had gotten a modicum of decorum back, they want down to the living room, and finally Commander Strax's ramblings made sense.
A blue London police box stood tall in the room.
The end.