I love her
It was the end of the third week in August and the final evening of holiday, Jenny and Vastra had spent the week touring private collections of art and armor, walking by the sea and training with weapons and ariel silks. Vastra could not be more proud of how fast Jenny had picked up on things in the last few weeks. Her progress had reinforced just how amazing this young woman was. Not only was she a detailed house keeper and cook, a flexible swordsman, a careful marksman, and an ariel artist, a knowledgeable agent, but in general a great companion to be around and while Vastra's eyes had yet to gaze upon her full flesh, from she knew of the maids muscles (from massage during her first week with the Paternoster Regulars) were firm and strong, yet her skin was soft and curves supple. "How could I be so lucky? How could I have such strong feelings for an ape?" thought Vastra as she and her lovely maid gathered their picnic blanket for their last activity of the holiday. She surprised herself with her feelings. When she had been awoken nearly six years ago she never could have imagined finding a potential mate in one of these apes. Yet as each day past over the last year or so she had found something new to be fond of or to enjoy about this mammal.
It was the last evening of holiday and Vastra and Jenny walked out to the beach near Vastra's sea-side cottage. Jenny spread out the picnic blanket and pillows, then the Lizard woman opened a bottle of rich red wine and they lay back to look at the stars.
"I love looking at stars, there libra, sagitarius, orphicus." said Jenny tracing the stars. Vastra put her head on the maids shoulder to follow her arm and see the shapes the earlier humans had come up with.
"They were a bit different when I was a younger." replied Vastra remembering back to her childhood.
"Have they changed that much?" asked Jenny
Vastra nuzzled the younger woman's cheek "It has been a few million years my dear. Those stars are actually balls of burning gas thousands of time larger than the earth and billions of miles away. Some of the ones I saw as a child we no longer see, because they have burned out and their light stopped reaching earth." replied Vastra
"Is that one of the many things your people had learned before your great sleep?" asked Jenny still gazing at the sky
"We had studied stars long before we visited them, just as I imagine mammals will before they visit them." said Vastra...she felt so at peace cuddled up with Jenny.
"I'd like to see them some day." replied Jenny wistfully
"Maybe one day you shall." said Vastra with a smile and she propped her head up on one arm and put her hand on mammal's belly.
"Would you be there too?" asked Jenny softly still laying on her back. She looked up into the lizard woman's eyes. "I con't think of anyone else I'd rather see a star with... though I don't think I'd have to travel far..." whispered Jenny
"And why is that?" asked Vastra softly
"I already see them..." said Jenny she reached up and put her fingers on Vastra's face... "In your eyes." whispered Jenny
Vastra kissed the palm of Jenny's hand... "Jenny, how do humans express deep feelings for each other? I know they communicate in poetry, song, painting, sculpture often as proclamations of their feelings, but how do they convey those feelings when it is only the two of them... the pair?" asked Vastra looking deep into Jenny's eyes
"They generally try to describe those feelings... caring, compassion, enjoyment..." replied Jenny softly
"Love?" asked Vastra
"Yes... that is a word used... though many hold that word very highly and do not say it unless they are invested in a relationship, a partnership, long term, the kind where one might lay down their life for the other." replied Jenny warmly... was Vastra trying to convey this? Did Vastra love her?
Vastra helped Jenny to a sitting position and took her hands. "It is hard for me to convey emotions like this at times, but I feel very blessed to have you in my life... and I would rather be blasted to pieces than for harm to ever fall up on you... Jenny... I love you." said Vastra as softly and as heart-feltly as she could.
Jenny put her arms around Vastra and held her close. "I love you too... I've felt it since spring... when we first held each other." whispered Jenny into Vastra's ear.
"I have too..." whispered Vastra back.
They laid back down and Vastra pulled another blanket over them and they spent the rest of the next hour talking about stars and when they got back to the cottage and into their night gowns there was an extra sense of ease and both women slept holding each other closer than ever before.