An: a substance the same colour as wine at any rate. Three chapters just on the 17th of December. Busy day this one…
"What was all that about anyway?" Jenny asked as Vastra turned to inspect Soljer's displays. "Wills an' the like. Co-ownership." She had a feeling she knew what had inspired Vastra's actions. It had been a thought nagging in the back of her head for a while but what with Japan there hadn't really been time to address it.
"I told you that at least here, in this house, you were not required to be a maid, as society must see you. That we lived here as equals. And now we do. Legally." Vastra trailed off. "What is the purpose of hanging it in doorways?"
Jenny looked up at the bunch of mistletoe hanging over her head and coughed. "S'mistletoe."
"Yes?"
"Am I really gonna have a bank account? In my name? All of me own?"
"Yes. As soon as we visit the bank this afternoon."
"An' it'll be mine."
"All yours."
Jenny sniffed and to her surprise realised she was crying.
"Jenny?" Vastra joined her in the doorway.
"'m sorry ma'am. S'just I ain't never 'ad nuffin'. Nuffin' 'cept me flint. Nuffin' that was mine. An' I mean all that money! An' s'not like I needed it. I mean you din't 'ave to."
Vastra handed her a handkerchief and Jenny blew her nose loudly in it.
"The Doctor once told me that whatever I was thinking of you as that I could not make you stay. And now you do not have to. You may leave and have money and do whatever you wish to."
"I was never plannin' on leavin' or anythin' like it! Just because…"
"But it clearly means a lot to you. To have something that is yours. A reassurance that no matter what happens, you will not have to go back to the streets or to working in a factory. Security. That is my gift to you this Christmas. I should have thought of it sooner." Vastra frowned.
"S traditional." Jenny said after an awkward silence, fiddling with the handkerchief. She felt nervous, knowing what Vastra would do upon being informed about mistletoe, and wanting it anyway.
"What is?"
"Mistletoe. You hang it up at Christmas time, well s'more a New Year thing too. An' then if a bloke finds himself beneath it with a woman…then they kiss."
Vastra looked at the mistletoe and then at Jenny. "Does it have to be a "bloke"?" she smirked.
"Traditionally but y'know…" Jenny shrugged, avoiding Vastra's eyes.
"Well we do not hold tradition in high esteem in this household, as I told Mr Beecham."
"Yeah. Well. No."
"Hm."
Jenny waited but Vastra merely kept smirking at her. She swore her heart stopped as she realised that Vastra was waiting for Jenny.
"C'n I kiss yer then?" a small part of her cringed. That was not exactly the way she'd intended to word it.
"By all means." Vastra nodded her head, but the widening smirk belied her serious tone.
Deciding she'd get Vastra back for teasing her later, Jenny stood on tip toe and kissed the annoying Silurian gently. Vastra responded with more passion, keeping her lips pressed against Jenny's. And in the heat of the moment, Jenny forgot and as Vastra's arms went around her waist, Jenny's hands reached up to clasp Vastra's head, her fingers closing around the head crests…
"Ow!" they swiftly clasped Jenny's nose instead.
Vastra had jerked her head forward away from the touch and accidentally head butted Jenny on it.
"Jenny!" she exclaimed, releasing the young woman as she saw blood dripping from between Jenny's fingers, mingling with tears.
Out of the blue, there was a knock at the door. Vastra turned, keening slightly in panic.
"Vastra? Jenny? Anyone about?" an unfamiliar voice called out. Jenny's eyes went wide as they heard the door open and they stared at each other, frozen in alarm. Who on earth would just walk into their house like that?
Rose wandered past and spotted them, still stood in the doorway. "Oi! They're here…oh my gawd! Are you alright? Doctor!" she yelled over her shoulder as she noticed Jenny's bleeding nose and Vastra's panicked expression.
A thin man with gelled hair in a suit darted up to doorway. "What's up? Oh! Vastra! What did you hit her for?" he gently pulled Jenny's hands away, tilting her head back to inspect the nose.
She choked slightly as blood ran into her throat.
"Alright, alright. Sit down here, head forward, that's it. Rose, go an' get a wet cloth. There we go." He guided her onto a chair and then squatted in front of her. "Should stop in a minute. Were you two fighting again?" he cast an angry glance at Vastra who was still standing in the doorway, shocked.
"Doctor?" Jenny gaped at the man in front of her, eyes wide.
"Hello!" he grinned and waved his hand. "I'm impressed!"
"You have regenerated then?" Vastra asked, coming back to her senses. "We only saw you…whenever it was. I would've thought…"
His face fell. "Things happen. You know how it is Vastra. One thing after another. After Japan…when is this anyways?"
"It is nearly Christmas here." Vastra faltered.
"So you gave her a red nose to make her like Rudolph?" the Doctor waggled his eyebrows meaningfully.
Now Jenny was completely lost but Rose turned back up and pressed a cold cloth to her nose, soothing the pain in it.
"Don't think it's broken." The Doctor inspected it once more. "So! What happened?"
Vastra glanced at Jenny and saw wariness. She didn't exactly want to tell the Doctor herself, not being assured of his approval of…whatever it was they were.
"Oh c'mon. Surely you can tell me? What were you fightin' about this time?"
"It were an accident." Jenny said hurriedly. "I…startled 'er is all. It were an accident." She flushed underneath the cover of the towel and fell silent.
"Startled you?" the Doctor turned to Vastra who was steadily going a darker green.
"As have you with this new regeneration." Vastra tilted her head pointedly and the Doctor fell silent, getting the hint. Ask no questions…
"I'll explain it over a cuppa shall I? Mind looking after Jenny while we sort out the kettle, Rose?" he threw the question over his shoulder as he left with Vastra for the kitchen.
"So?" he asked, sitting down at the large solid table.
"So?" Vastra shot back at him, concentrating on filling up the kettle so she didn't have to look him in the eye.
"There was…a battle. With the Daleks. Rose saved my life. Took the power of the time vortex inside her and poof!" he gestured to indicate the sudden non-existence of the Daleks.
"But that should've killed her!"
"I took it out of her."
"How?"
The Doctor shifted uncomfortably. "I…kissed her. She doesn't remember. She doesn't remember anything about it really. But even I couldn't survive the Time Vortex so I had to regenerate. So?" he asked again, having spilled his beans.
"I…we were discussing mistletoe and the tradition of it. And she asked to kiss me, well I…I wanted her to ask so…we kissed." Vastra flushed a decided shade of dark green at the Doctor's wondering expression. "We have kissed on several occasions before now."
"What?"
"To thank me for my assistance in a case involving her sister and as a greeting when I returned from Egypt. She told me they could be many things. Even gifts. I kissed her as a Christmas present when she told me that, on the way to Japan." Vastra explained.
"And what was the meaning of this one? Did she tell you that?"
"I am not completely ignorant of the ways of apes, Doctor." Vastra slammed a tray down with slightly more vigour than necessary.
"So how did this time result in a bloody nose?" The Doctor asked. "And where's your tea pot?"
"She…we…it's just there. We were kissing and her hands brushed my crests."
"And they're sensitive." The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "And your tea leaves?"
"My head jerked in surprise, that's all." Vastra handed him the tin. "The spoon is inside. Jenny keeps one in there."
"Does she know?" he measured out four tea spoons into the pot.
"She knows not to touch them."
"And will you let her touch them now? Will you tell her what that means? For Silurians?"
Vastra huffed. "I don't know."
"Would you like her to?" The Doctor asked curiously, watching his friend closely as she poured the now boiled water into the pot.
"I…don't know."
"Well, that's something you can find out together. But remember…"
"I know. I cannot keep her if she does not wish to stay. I am aware." Vastra sighed. The thought of Jenny Flint leaving was painful. The little ape had already said she wouldn't, even with the assurance that if she did, she would not return to her previous state of poverty but there was still a fear.
She set cups and saucers on the tray and they made their way back to the living room.
Jenny took the cloth away from her eyes where she'd buried her entire face in it.
"Regeneration?" she looked baffled at Rose and the young woman explained.
"What? 'ow is that even possible?"
"Don't worry. My reaction was pretty much the same. You get used to it though. All the strange alien stuff. Travellin' with 'im."
"But what happened to the old Doctor?" Rose fell silent and Jenny winced. "I guess 'e's still the Doctor. Just…"
She felt a loss. She'd liked the old Doctor with his gruffness and Northern accent and big leather jacket. He'd saved her and always treated everything with a mild jokey-ness but he never felt like he'd hurt you. He'd always try and save you if he could. This one seemed slightly manic and on edge, never quite leaving you enough time to be still or to say anything. He flustered her.
"So…how did you startle Vastra enough to get a bloody nose? She must've given you a fair wallop."
"I…'er 'ead crests are sensitive, she tol' me before not to touch 'em but…me 'and accidentally brushed against 'em an' it startled 'er into jerkin' 'er 'ead…" Jenny stopped abruptly. Rose was eyeing her a little too knowingly.
"Oh." She said and glanced at the doorway, noticing the mistletoe. "I see."
Jenny flushed crimson and racked her brains for another topic of conversation.
"What 'appened to Captain Jack? Is 'e still wiv yer?" Jenny realised with a jolt that in reality it'd barely been a day since he'd dropped them off in their courtyard.
"He…" Rose's face fell. "He's helpin' to rebuild an…an empire. I think your nose 's stopped bleedin'."
Why was there so much they couldn't talk about plainly?Jenny pondered as she took the cloth away and then went to change her dress where it'd got spattered with blood.
When she returned the Doctor and Vastra had come back to the living room with tea and there was a more relaxed atmosphere. The Doctor and Rose were leaning side by side against the back of the sofa and Vastra was stood near the fireplace.
"Jenny!" she turned at the sound of her footsteps. "Are you alright?" she strode over and took Jenny's head in her hands. For a wild moment, Jenny thought Vastra might kiss her again, in front of the Doctor and Rose and she struggled but Vastra was merely inspecting her nose.
"S'fine." She reassured Vastra who sighed.
"I am sorry, Jenny."
She shrugged. "I'm the bleedin'…ha, lit'rally was, idiot. You said not to touch 'em."
Vastra let her hands fall away, her eyes twitching to where the Doctor and Rose were. "So I did." She bowed her head and then sat in the armchair by the fire. "So, Doctor, what is the reason for this visit? Do you have a case for us?"
"Nah. Just a social call really. Thought I'd introduce meself and me and Rose had a spare minute." The Doctor shrugged, hopping over the back of the sofa to sit down on it. "All well here I take it, bloody noses notwithstanding."
"Well enough." Vastra glanced at Jenny, as if asking for confirmation.
"S'all alright." Jenny nodded.
"How's your waistcoat? Not wearing it?"
"Weellll s'more for special occasions. An' fightin' an'..." Jenny fiddled with her apron, staring at the ground. She could feel Rose staring at her sympathetically.
The clock suddenly struck the hour and they all jumped.
"Mercy! Is that the time? Well I suppose we'll be off, let you get on with dinner or what have you." The Doctor leapt up and tugged Rose after him. "See you Jenny! Vastra! Think on what I said."
"Bye…" Jenny waved, stunned by both the sudden entrance and exit. She looked over at Vastra as the front door slammed. The Silurian was sat in her armchair by the fireplace, staring into the empty grate over steepled fingers.
Jenny's brow furrowed, wondering what the Doctor had said but the action made her nose ache and she left Vastra to it in order to put another cold cloth on it.
An: Well that was a lot less cute than I was expecting. My apologies.
