An: and I thought Boxing Day was long…

Jenny sat on the foot of their bed later on in the evening, staring thoughtfully at the ceiling. Frank had wisely scarpered. Parker had come back with pies and bread which had been gratefully scoffed by both of them. Vastra had requested to meet with his son, to interview him but otherwise seemed amenable to the plan. Not a bad end to the day, Jenny thought. Considering how the day had gone.

Vastra was already curled up in bed, exhausted by the day, watching Jenny, waiting for her to get changed and join her, wanting the comfort of Jenny's warmth and physical presence. She saw the young woman fish something out of her dress and dangle it in the light of the candles. It glinted and at certain times appeared to have an aura around it.

"I wonder what these scratches mean." Jenny mused, watching the locket spin in front of her nose, making her mildly cross-eyed.

"Jenny!" Vastra reprimanded. "I thought you had returned it to Torchwood!"

"I did. This is the second one. It were a teleport by the way." She explained, as Vastra came to sit beside her. "Teleported me inside this room at Torchwood. Full of all these weird things."

Vastra eyed her amused. "You still stole it."

"Story of me life." Jenny shrugged.

"They will be back for it." Vastra reached out a hand and felt the same tingle Jenny had at touching the locket.

"They'll be back anyways. They said so. Once they've complained to their Commander in Chief about us." Jenny collected it back into her palm, moving off the bed.

"You are not afraid anymore?" Vastra asked, intrigued by the sudden lack of fear.

"Weeeelllll apart from the Commander they seem a bit useless really. Din't even have a proper dungeon to lock me in. All bluster an' no fire as Lettie used to say." Jenny walked over to the fireplace to deposit the locket on the mantelpiece.

A deafening silence filled the room.

"The Lettie who was a former lover of yours?"

Jenny tried not to grin at Vastra's tone, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on the fire. They hadn't been lovers more than just kissing and sharing a bed but Jenny couldn't resist. "I s'pose we were lovers. In our own way."

"Lettie Palmer."

"I take it you met 'er. In all the confusion of identities." Jenny busied herself stoking up the fire for the night.

"Yes."

"Weeelllllll s'all water under the bridge ain't it. There's no need ter sulk." Jenny teased.

Vastra snorted and curled back up in bed.

Jenny smiled at the lump fondly as she got changed into her nightgown, sliding under the covers to spoon Vastra.

"Lettie was the one who took me to the circus y'know. When I saw you there." Jenny draped an arm around Vastra's waist.

"So you told me." Vastra sniffed, remaining stiff and unyielding in Jenny's embrace. "She is the type of person to enjoy such entertainment is she?"

"Did I ever tell you what she said?" Jenny shifted upright, leaning on one hand as the other tried to twine its fingers with Vastra's.

"No." Vastra shifted her hand away.

"We was walkin' around an' I weren't very impressed with any of it really. But then she dragged me towards this tent with a sign outside sayin "Amazing Lizard Lady" and said 'maybe this'll be more yer style'." Jenny paused, looking down. Vastra had closed her eyes but she got the feeling the Amazing Lizard Lady was listening intently. "I fink she was right about that." Jenny leaned in and lowered her voice. "Fink you are more my style."

How Vastra managed to make her smug grins practically audible, Jenny didn't know. She felt the Silurian relax, wriggling backwards into Jenny with a final satisfied grunt, Jenny's own smug grin melted into a content smile as she led back down again.

January 2nd 1888

Vastra was sat, slumped at the end of the sofa nearest the fire, reading. Occasionally she glanced up at Jenny who was curled up at the other end, her brow furrowed in concentration as she stared beyond the abandoned sewing in her hands.

"You are worried?" Vastra asked her eventually. The tension Jenny was exuding was beginning to affect her ability to focus on her book.

"Jus' thinkin'. Think I might've bin a bit reckless." Jenny sighed.

"Cutting the Torchwood Commander's trousers down you mean?" Vastra raised an eye ridge in amusement as the full realisation of what she'd done hit Jenny.

"Oh gawd. They're gonna hang me…" she laughed nervously.

Vastra was about to answer in an attempt to reassure her when there was a knock at the door. Seeing as Jenny sat petrified, Vastra retrieved her veil and went to answer the door with an impending sense of doom.

Jenny heard raised voices from the hallway and surged to her feet in a panic. Before she could decide on fleeing or fighting, the Doctor burst through the door.

"Jenny! My favourite Flint! Hello! You remember Martha of course?" The Doctor jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the young black woman following him.

"Thought we'd call in, say Happy New Year!" she grinned.

"1888…ooof…" the Doctor ran his fingers through his hair and grimaced. "Gonna be a rough one. Can't say any more."

"No more disappearing acts down to underworlds then? No unexpected guests?" Martha asked, sitting on the arm of the sofa.

Vastra removed her veil, placing it over the back of it. "Well, in a way."

"Sounds like a story. Is the kettle boiling?" The Doctor waggled his eyebrows.

Jenny took the hint and went out to the kitchen.

After they'd regaled the Doctor with their story, Jenny retrieved the locket and handed it to him.

"What do those markin's say on it?"

The Doctor turned it over in his thin fingers.

"Ahh. Bizarre to see them in locket form. Originally they were stones. It's a teleportation device!"

"Yes we know that." Jenny rolled her eyes.

"Ahh but this lovely beauty is one of a pair used by the infamous Space Pirate couple, All Dread Her, literal translation of her name and Silly Vest Wearer. Again. Very literal translation. They were lovers and they used the teleport device so that if ever they were separated they could teleport immediately to each other's sides. Very romantic."

"How did this Torchwood end up with them?" Martha asked, taking the locket off the Doctor.

The Doctor frowned. "I suspect through meddling. They meddle in the future. Any alien tech that comes to earth, they seize it. In the name of the British Empire!" he said sarcastically.

"An' All…what 'appened to the Space Pirates?" Jenny didn't think she could really say those names.

The Doctor heaved a sigh. "Dead I'm afraid. Probably."

Jenny shivered. "Torchwood?" Perhaps they were more organised than she gave them credit for. Or the Commander at least, and his deputy. She could well imagine them killing aliens.

He looked at her, saw the fear in her eyes. "Naahhh. Probably died on landing. Or gave it up? Maybe they split up after all those years. Who knows!" He grinned unreassuringly and gestured to Martha, who hastily gave the locket back to Jenny. "Come on! Best be off, if Torchwood's sniffing around Paternoster Row. Might have to wait until my next regeneration to come back and visit. Cheerio!"

3rd of January 1888

Jenny had been looking nervously out the windows every few minutes and driving Vastra to distraction.

"I thought you weren't afraid anymore. That they were nothing but incompetents." Vastra asked, blocking Jenny's way. "Where has all that bravado fled to?"

Jenny rolled her eyes and side-stepped Vastra. The chill of dread ran down her spine was a large carriage drew up outside Paternoster Row. She clutched at Vastra's sleeve. "Ma'am…"

Vastra allowed herself to be tugged round in time to see a large figure in a cloak get out, accompanied by two men in dark suits. She recognised them as the two men who had visited them with the case. The Commander and his silent companion. Jenny hadn't heard the man utter a word thus far. The Commander's loquaciousness had made up for it. They looked up simultaneously at the window. Jenny and Vastra simultaneously moved away.

"Yer veil."

"The door." Vastra inclined her head before moving away.

Jenny's jaw clenched as the inevitable knock came and she walked slowly down the hallway to answer it. The three of them swept past her into the conservatory where Vastra was waiting; reclining with apparent ease in her wicker chair.

"Jenny, would you make the tea? It appears we have a case." She asked as Jenny followed them in. Jenny curtseyed, not really wanting to leave Vastra alone with the three of them.

The figure in the cloak held up a hand and the deputy commander grabbed at her arm to stop her. Jenny looked him steadfastly in his cold brown eyes but she could feel her whole body trembling and knew he could too.

"I require none of your pretences, Madame Vastra. I know very well what you are. Perhaps then, in mutual respect, we should both remove our disguises?" The hood fell back to reveal none other than Queen Victoria.

Vastra stood up and calmly lifted back her veil, standing haughty and proud a good foot above Queen Victoria. The Queen merely went to sit down, causing the Commander to swiftly manoeuvre the second wicker chair behind her with a speed and grace that belied his size.

"But your maid can certainly make us tea. Release her, Mister Vandemar. We have must to discuss."

The deputy Commander released his pincer grip on Jenny's arm and shoved her roughly towards the door. He spoke finally, in a cold, flat voice. "Off you pop."

An: Anyone who has read/watched Neverwhere feel absolutely free to freak out about the fact Croup and Vandemar are currently running Torchwood. By all means.