An: Jess was meant to be snorting at the end of the last chapter but dam'nit the woman has no sense of occasion and that was a beautiful moment and I wasn't having her ruin it…

"At least I did not lose mine."

Jess overheard Vastra and snorted but turned it into a cough as Vastra looked up to glower at her.

"Right. Well. I know when I ain't needed. If that's sorted an' case solved, hugs all round, I'll be orf! Catch yer Jenny!" she made a show of hurrying towards the steps.

"'ey!" Jenny called out, breaking apart from Vastra, who let her go most reluctantly. "Thanks. Yer din't need ter do that. Sayin' you was a Flint too."

"Yeah well." Jess turned round, running her hand through her hair. "Jus' try an' not involve me in the future ey? You might be 'appy livin' with a lizard an' fightin' dogs but y'know me I like a quiet life."

Jenny looked at her in utter disbelief.

"In comparison." Jess amended. "Peelers are bleeders but at least they're human an' don't grow inter 6 feet tall flames. I c'n fight human. I'll leave the supernatural ter you if'n yer don't mind."

"Suits me." Jenny agreed.

"An' do me a favour an' jus' tell 'er ey? Or at least talk to 'er." Jess leaned in and whispered. "Look on 'er face is killin' me 'eart. Like a cat that got its nuts caught in the mangle."

"I'll do me best." Jenny nodded awkwardly. The phrase sounded like one Mrs Blackett would use and it inspired odd images.

"Bleedin' 'ell. Well good luck." Jess shook her head. "Got any toff liquor about the place?" she called out to Vastra over Jenny's shoulder. "I need a stiff drink after that."

"'fraid not. You'll afta visit Missus Blackett." Jenny guided her towards the stairs before Vastra could say anything.

"Fine. Fine. Nice meetin' yer without yer veil on this time." Jess waved once more to the both of them and made her way out.

Jenny awkwardly turned to face Vastra. The Silurian's expression was indeed a little downcast.

"Those cuts will need seeing to." Vastra bustled over as she noticed Jenny looking at her. She took Jenny's hands in hers, inspecting the long gouges on Jenny's arms.

"Least 'e cleaned up after 'imself. Not e'en a spot o' blood on the floor." Jenny observed, her heart sinking at the return to the business-like manner.

"Just as well. I would have billed it for the cleaning." Vastra sniffed, letting her go and walking up the stairs.

Jenny gave a small grin and followed Vastra into the kitchen. She set the kettle boiling for tea. It hadn't been that long ago she'd been about to tell Vastra she was leaving…

"Another dress fer George to repair." Jenny sighed, rolling up the sleeves, wincing as the material caught.

Vastra stared at a bottle she retrieved from the medicine box that sat on the top shelf in the cupboard. "Iodine. Truly primitive." she tutted absentmindedly as she read the faded label out loud before collecting bandages from a small sack on the second shelf.

"Good enough." Jenny shrugged. Vastra wetted a spare cloth with some and gestured for Jenny to sit down at the table, sitting down opposite her.

It stung as Vastra gently cleaned out the cuts with a look of intense concentration. Jenny wasn't sure whether she was truly absorbed in her task or avoiding looking Jenny in the eye.

"They're not as deep as they look." Vastra informed her, deftly bandaging her arms.

"Guess a Warrior would know 'ow ter treat wounds ey?" Jenny got up, flexing her arms to test for pain before moving to make the tea.

"Of course. I treated your other wounds, remember?"

Jenny's hand automatically brushed against her abdomen, where there was a small scar as a memento to her altercation with the Tong Gang. "I remember."

There was an awkward silence, which Jenny tried to fill with clattering china and noisy water pouring.

"I'm sorry." Vastra was the first to break it.

"Wot?" Jenny turned her head, having not quite heard Vastra over her own noise.

"It hasn't been a very cheerful Christmas. I know you wanted…"

"Yeah well." Jenny interrupted her. "Me own bleedin' fault weren't it." She sighed as she placed the lid on the teapot and swilled it.

"What did she tell you?" Vastra asked, curious as to what Jess had whispered before leaving.

"What did the Doctor tell you?" Jenny cut back.

"I asked first."

"Jess? She was just sayin' as how I should talk to yer. Think she got a bit annoyed at me. Said I should just tell the truth. Easy ter say that ain't it. Makes it seem so simple. An' maybe it is. But that don't mean it ain't hard. An'…scary."

"Scarier than nearly losing your life?" Vastra was a little dismayed that Jenny found talking to her so terrifying.

"I c'n fight dogs an' bog monsters."

"If you could call that fighting." Vastra pointed out. "Your sword action was terrible. We really must train further. I ordered some wooden swords to be made that we can practice with."

"C'n we give it a rest? I don' wanna be fightin' yer no more." Jenny banged the tea cups onto the table and then slumped in her chair. "I mean, fer today at least." Jenny clarified, after seeing Vastra's stricken expression.

"Of course."

Jenny picked at her finger nails. "So what did the Doctor want?"

"He wished to inform me that he has just lost Rose, hence why she was not there in his previous visit, which he has yet to make."

"Lost?"

"She's not dead. She's in another universe. He just can't see her again. So for the sake of argument, lost."

"Not ever?"

"Not ever."

Jenny wiped at her eyes in annoyance at the tears falling from them but she'd liked Rose. And she'd liked the Doctor when he was with Rose. Vastra twitched only once in hesitation before standing up and leaning over Jenny, resting her head gently on Jenny's shoulder. She took Jenny's hand in hers and squeezed.

"I'm sorry, little ape."

"Yeah well. She tol' me stuff happened with the Doctor. S'not like I knew 'er that well." Jenny shrugged but Vastra merely pressed her forehead harder against Jenny's shoulder. Jenny could feel her vibrating.

"Vastra?"

"I could have lost you! This morning, I…"

The small keen hurt her ears and the words floored her. "Would I 'ave been worth it?" she whispered.

Vastra stood up with a jolt. "Eavesdropping again, I take it." She glowered at Jenny.

"S'not like you were tellin'." Jenny avoided her glare by picking up her cup of tea and taking a gulp. "What did 'e say? I din't listen to 'is answer."

Vastra remembered. The Doctor had looked at her very carefully, almost like the Doctor again.

"Always. It's…to get to meet people, to be with them, to share…everything! Adventures. It's just when it's over. You never think about it. Or you try not to. You try not to think about it. When you're having that much fun. But to have that connection. Really. Always."

"And Rose?"

The Doctor had sighed, slumping down in the chair. "Well it's inevitable that you'll lose everyone or be lost in the end."

"Was it?"

He had looked at her so seriously, leaning forward on his knees, staring at her directly. "My answer will not be the same as yours Vastra." His hands had clenched. "My journey with Rose is over. It can't be an answer for you and Jenny. Do you think she's worth it? Worth all that pain. All that hate. All the hiding and the arguments. All the times you won't understand each other. You're a Silurian. She's a human. Some things just won't work out the way either of you expect. Is she worth the pain then? Of knowing that? Is she worth it if she walks out? If she decides a human works better for her? Worth more than what your sisters would think? If they knew?"

She'd hissed, her face a snarl.

"I wasn't careful. I should've been and I wasn't. I was old, lost, alone. Not unlike you. And she made me better. But I wasn't careful. So if she is worth it then that's my advice to you. Be careful."

He'd walked out after that. Not even a word of goodbye. She still didn't quite understand. Be careful of Jenny? Be careful around Jenny? Be careful with Jenny? She'd reverted to being polite, keeping a safe and careful distance.

But Jenny had nearly gone. Nearly disappeared before her eyes, taken by something even Vastra had no knowledge of, away to another universe. It was unlikely she would've been able to follow. But there were other ways to lose Jenny Flint. In some respects, worse ways.

"He said it was always worth it. But that was his answer. Not mine." Vastra heard the tiny catch in Jenny's breath.

Jenny covered it by finishing her tea. "I c'n think of worse things than livin' in separate universes."

"Really?" Vastra collected her own tea, her voice calm and distant again.

"Wantin' ter be with someone an' they're still alive an' they're still there, right in front of yer. You just ain't together."

"Yes. That is worse, in its own way." Vastra sipped her tea thoughtfully, descending into silence. That was the prospect that had been facing her since Jenny had walked out the first time.

Jenny felt a sting of guilt, remembering that she'd been the one to walk out. "Look. I thought…I mean yer don't like apes. I know that. You eat 'em. I thought if the Irregulars an' everyone else it seems, thought we was together, that you'd get upset or annoyed an' you'd jus' leave. I din't think you wanted, y'know, but after I left I sort of." She broke off, fiddling with her empty tea cup. "I mean you quoted poetry at me. Some women would kill fer that kind of romancing. You even said to ol' blueballs that I was special…"

"You are special, Jenny Flint." Vastra slammed her cup down on the table, spilling tea all over it, having listened to Jenny with increasing dismay. "Not just as an ape, although you are. But to me. You are special to me." Vastra turned away, covering her mouth with her gloved hands.

"Well why din't you jus' tell me then? Instead of all this…stuff with the mistletoe an'…"

"Do not lecture me on not saying things!" Vastra spun round angrily. "Not if you…you called me your friend." She stormed over to the teapot to pour more tea but forgot her cup and had to return to pick it up.

"What was I meant ter do? Confess to the ape-hating, ape-eatin' lizard that an ape…" Jenny stopped, clenching her jaw against the words.

Vastra slowly turned to look at her, unheeding that her cup was currently over-flowing.

"Watch out! You bleedin' idiot." Jenny leapt up when she noticed, grateful of an excuse to not finish that sentence just yet and grabbed a towel to mop it up. "Honestly." She sighed.

Vastra gently placed the teapot back down and laid a hand on Jenny's arm to stop her. Her head tilted to one side, silently questioning. "Honestly?"

Jenny felt as if time was stood still. She could feel two futures, three futures, more futures streaming out in front of her, running away from her. But there was a hand on her arm that was anchoring her back in the present. She gave a small almost inaudible gasp and then there was only one future.

"Honestly?" she looked up and looked Vastra directly in her blue eyes. "I love yer." Her fingers dug into the tea towel but her voice surprised her by being steady.

Vastra released her and she turned away, fumbling around putting the kettle back on to boil and cleaning out the tea pot.

"Bugger!" The sudden curse startled Vastra out of her awed reverie at Jenny's pronouncement.

"What is it?" Vastra blinked.

"We're out of tea." Jenny frowned into the empty tea leaves tin. "I'll get some more." She snapped the tin closed and strode out into the hallway.

"Jenny!" Vastra called after her but Jenny had already grabbed her cloak and slammed the door.

Vastra went to follow but pulled up short, realising she didn't have her veil on. She closed her eyes and sighed, resting her forehead against the door, her hand still resting on the doorknob. It came as an awkward reminder that she was still a Silurian. That would be another conversation. And Jenny was right, she supposed. That would require more tea.

An: Every time. It's always in the kitchen and always with tea.

Don't worry. Next chapter is also convo heavy. And with tea. I'm running out of tea related activities tho; a situation I never thought I'd find myself in.