An: The author retains the right to overuse the "being walked in on" trope and regrets nothing.
14th February 1888
It felt lazy to not move upon waking but she felt safe and secure and thus nothing told her to move. Here in this cocoon of blankets, with a solid comforting presence to her back, she rose into a sleepy stupor.
Something nuzzled her hair.
"G'mornin'." She yawned, blinking and trying to get up. Determined arms encircled her and pulled her closer. She grinned and wriggled around, causing clicks of annoyance. "We gotta get up at some point." She looked pointedly into filmy blue eyes. They had been through this routine regularly over the last week as it had snowed almost continuously. A grunt was her only reply and the Silurian burrowed further into the blankets.
Jenny rolled her eyes and disentangled herself from the rather familiar argument, getting up to fix the fire and put some tea on. She felt slightly stiff from having slept on the floor. She laid out some coins on the table for the Irregulars to get their own breakfast. Parker and his wife had the day off, it being Valentine's day, and Jenny wanted to retreat back to the pile of blankets. She hoped they were smart enough to take the coins as a Do Not Disturb sign.
When she came back with tea, Vastra was still invisible under the blankets and she delicately started peeling them away, folding them carefully into a neat pile as she did so. Half way through this task, a green scaled arm reached out and pulled about three of them back into the 'fort'. Jenny glowered and began stripping them off faster, culminating in a tug of war between her and a still half buried Vastra over one particular blanket. Vastra let go suddenly and Jenny toppled over. She hissed in pain as her arm was jolted and flung the blanket from her. A blue eye was now visible, half annoyed, half amused. Jenny gently lifted the blanket off of Vastra's head and was ambushed, rolled into the pile of blankets. She fought to extricate herself but had become entangled and flopped backwards with a sigh. Vastra nuzzled into her side, drifting back into a doze, and Jenny unconsciously reached down and stroked the Silurian's head spikes as she would someone's hair. She found herself unceremoniously pinned and froze. Vastra's blue eyes blazed but not with anger and it was not fear that sent a jolt between Jenny's legs.
She swallowed. "Well thas one way to get yer up then." She joked, trying to control her breathing.
Vastra blinked the instinctive reaction from herself. Her eyes narrowed and she smirked, moving her hands to the floor and lowering herself on top of Jenny. "You were saying?" she hissed into Jenny's ear.
To Vastra's puzzled delight, Jenny threw her head back and laughed the same captivating laugh that Vastra had first heard just under a year ago.
"Was it that amusing?"
Jenny kissed her in reply, leaving Vastra completely baffled as the young woman got up, wrapping herself in a blanket in protection against the chilly air before wandering into the kitchen.
Vastra followed, a little put out by now. As Jenny shuffled about, making a pot of tea, Vastra caught her by the waist.
"You are happy?"
"Yes, I'm happy, you stupid lizard." Jenny rolled her eyes that Vastra always asked it as a question. Surely she hadn't been that grumpy because of her arm?
Vastra kissed her, tugging Jenny's blanket open to come inside it, backing her against the table, lifting her on to it. She began kissing her way down Jenny's neck and the young woman tilted her head back to allow Vastra more room. An idle thought floated across her mind that even the Paternoster Irregulars would take some explaining to if they walked in now, prompted by the sound of a voice and people walking down the corridor. An alarm warning went off in her head but her body was too busy responding to Vastra to pay attention to it.
"Do they never answer the door then OH MY GAWD!"
Such a loud shout jolted both Jenny and Vastra back into reality. Vastra looked up in surprise, her arms still holding a blanket round Jenny, who slid hastily off the table.
The red haired woman who had issued the shout had turned around and run right back into the Doctor who blushed as red as the woman's hair.
"Whoops! Sorry Vastra. Jenny. I did knock but you never answer! One day I'll just park the TARDIS right in your living room!"
"Doctor!" the red-haired woman thumped him
"Oh! Yes. This is Donna by the way. Donna Noble. Donna, this is Jenny Flint and Vastraoww!" he cried as she slapped him around the back of the head.
"You great flaming pillock." She tutted and dragged him out the kitchen by his ear.
Jenny buried her head in Vastra's shoulder with a groan. "'e don't arf 'ave timin' that man…"
"Yes. Well shall we…"
"A blanket nest in front of the fire!" they heard the Doctor exclaim.
Jenny darted out the kitchen into the living room to find the Doctor examining the pile of blankets.
"It weren't nuffin' like that!" she told him hastily, grabbing a blanket off him. "We…went out in the snow an' madame…Vastra, she got too cold."
"So you made a blanket fort to warm her up again? Brilliant!" he grinned at her stupidly and she gave up.
Vastra came in, folding the blanket she'd had wrapped around her. "Are you going to help clear it up or not, Doctor?"
"Think I'll leave it." He flushed slightly and stood up. "Shall we make the tea?" he inclined his head towards the kitchen, raising an eyebrow in a hint. Vastra looked at Jenny and saw her watchful expression and then shook her head. She picked up another blanket and started to fold it calmly.
"If you wish to make a cup, I'm sure you know where the kitchen is."
Jenny paused in folding the blanket she'd taken off of the Doctor to blink at Vastra. The Silurian always talked to the Doctor when he came.
"Right. Well, I'll go put the kettle on." The Doctor sauntered out.
Donna looked between them all.
"What was all that about?" she asked.
"We are old friends. Whenever we meet, we usually have so much to discuss." Vastra explained.
"How old?" Donna asked, looking Vastra up and down, as if she thought the Silurian were a dinosaur.
"I am from a time before humanity even existed." Vastra tried to stare down at Donna but the woman was nearly as tall as she was. Vastra was beginning to feel uncomfortable in just her chemise. In front of Jenny was one thing but now the haze of the morning had cleared, she was beginning to be aware that they had been foolish and reckless. She collected the pile of blankets and went upstairs.
"Sooooo. You and the Lizard from the Land before Time." Donna commented as she shifted around to help Jenny fold up the rest of the blankets. Jenny went red which merely made Donna laugh. "S'alright. Travellin' with 'im you learn not to worry about species or age gaps. Age gaps become a bit of a non-thing what with time travel. I was engaged to some bloke who tried to off me for a giant spider. And then there was this romance between a space wasp and this woman. All goes down." She waved it off. Jenny stared in mild awe at such a blasé attitude but decided that she liked Donna all the better for it. "Unless you're an ancient being in disguise as well?"
Jenny shook her head. "Just a normal human."
"Me too. Feel a bit special travelling with the Doctor though. You meet a lot of his companions?" Donna asked, a little furtively.
"A few." Jenny shrugged. The other companions had not exactly met with the happiest of ends. She wondered if Donna knew anything about them. Clearly she knew there was a turnover rate.
"Go on adventures through Victorian London?" Donna wiggled her shoulders and laughed.
"A couple of times."
"Any aliens in Victorian London then?" Donna asked, looking furtively around the living room.
"I met the Kraal once. With…" that had been the other Doctor. But the same Doctor. That still hurt Jenny's head occasionally.
"Oh yeah? What were they like?" Donna skated over Jenny's pause.
"They tried to kidnap a prince and then the Doctor convinced them to become a Republic instead. He told 'em I was the greatest warrior on the planet an' they went off believin' it." Jenny snorted.
Donna made a face of faux shock and awe. "I s'pose I'd better watch meself!" she laughed. "Who was that with then?"
"Rose." The name did not come easily off of Jenny's tongue and she busied herself smoothing down the blanket she'd just folded.
Donna's face became serious. "Rose huh?"
Jenny nodded. She'd met Rose and liked her. And she understood that Rose was lost. But the rather hushed and serious tones her name got spoken in now didn't suit the bubbly blonde-haired laughing woman she'd said goodbye to only a few months ago.
They folded up the remaining blankets in silence until the Doctor came back in with a tea tray as they were folding the last one and Vastra returned from upstairs, now fully dressed.
The four of them sat awkwardly in the living room until, realising that she was still in her chemise, Jenny excused herself to go get dressed. Donna followed her out, ostentatiously exclaiming a wish to see some Victorian fashion.
"They need to have their old timer natter right?" Donna whispered as they made their way upstairs. "More tension in there than in a rubber band aimed at someone's crotch."
Jenny snorted with laughter. "'e won't be comfortable til 'e's 'ad a chance to 'ave a go an' talk through everythin'." She agreed once she'd recovered.
"Ohhh. So Vastra's like his therapist?" Donna followed her along the corridor, looking about her with interest.
"Therapist?" Jenny glanced over her shoulder.
"Someone you confess all your problems to and pay 'em to listen." Donna paused to inspect the books on the bookshelves that lined the corridor.
"I don't think Vastra gets paid." Jenny opened the door to their bedroom.
"Not that she needs it." Donna followed her inside without hesitation, raising her eyes at the four poster bed they'd acquired. "Nice place you two got 'ere."
"Yeah." Jenny sat down awkwardly at the foot of the bed.
"'ow'd you get the money to afford it?" Donna plopped down next to her, bouncing slightly to test the springs.
Jenny debated for a second but she trusted Donna. Besides, Donna seemed to have a knack for getting things out of people. "We robbed a few banks." She stared at her feet.
Donna stared at her in impressed shock, real this time. "Right on Jenny Flint!" She held a hand up in the air and then had to explain about "high fives". Jenny caught on and duly slapped the hand as hard as she could with her non-injured hand, making Donna wince and shake it.
Donna, Jenny decided, had no sense of propriety. She questioned people until they gave in and told her everything, walked into people's bedrooms without thinking, was impressed at bank robberies and didn't mind as Jenny got dressed. She also chatted almost non-stop about her adventures with the Doctor but Jenny found them all fascinating.
"First time I met 'im though, the very first adventure, I was about to be married an' 'e whisked me off as I was walkin' down the aisle."
"'e never!" Jenny paused in doing up the eyelets on her corset. The Doctor really just didn't seem the marrying kind.
"Well not quite but it put a halt to my wedding plans let me tell you! Just as well really. That was the bloke who threw me over for Spider From The Centre Of The Earth. So what about you and Lizard Woman?" Donna leaned backwards on the bed. "You married? Planning to?"
Jenny tried to imagine Vastra in a wedding dress and failed miserably. "Not yet." She said after a while. "I think thas a bit in the future y'know?" The word didn't surprise her as much as it had when Vastra had first said it. A fleeting spark of longing fired up for a second and then was gone.
"Well, I suppose in Victorian times, can't really get married anyways can you." Donna tutted and sighed.
"No." Jenny agreed, fixing her hair in a bun once more.
"Reckon they've 'ad long enough to natter now?"
"Bad luck if they ain't. C'mon." Jenny led Donna back downstairs again after a final brush to smooth her skirt.
When they walked back into the living room, Vastra was sitting rigidly, glowering at the Doctor who was tapping nervously on his cup. Apparently the natter hadn't gone too well. The Doctor darted up off his chair at the sight of Donna.
"There you are Donna! Well, best be off. Places to see, people to do, things to be, something like that. Coming?" He had already rushed past them into the hallway.
"I guess I am." Donna stared at him suspiciously. She gave Jenny a squeeze of a hug before following him out. "Bye Jenny." She called over her shoulder with a wave.
Jenny turned to Vastra the moment she heard the door slam. "Wot was you glowerin' at 'im about?"
Vastra stalked past her and upstairs, slamming the bedroom door behind her.
Jenny took a deep breath and let it out slowly to quell her irritation. It was very tempting to cuss them both and do her own storming out. She hadn't seen Jess in a while, perhaps it was time for a visit. But she was also hungry.
Jenny wondered what they'd argued about as she fried herself some bacon, sausage and eggs. Her and Vastra being together? She suspected the Doctor didn't exactly approve. Or was it something else, like the whereabouts of Martha. As she was deciding whether to leave Vastra to it or follow her the Silurian stomped back downstairs again, flinging open the kitchen door.
"You alright ma'am?" Jenny asked lightly as she flipped her bacon over.
"I don't care what that ridiculous man says! I am more than capable of making rational decisions." Vastra spat, stalking around the kitchen.
"Like stormin' upstairs an' slammin' the door y'mean ma'am?" Jenny managed to make it sound like an innocent question.
"I came back down!" Vastra turned in an affronted swirl of skirts to look at Jenny. Her head jerked back with a blink as she realised the young woman was teasing her.
"Wot was the Doctor so huffy about anyways?" Jenny emptied the contents of the frying pan onto a plate.
Vastra went a darker shade of green. "He warns me every time, that I should be more careful. Yet he never follows his own advice."
"We 'ave bin bein' careful. Ain't I bin sayin' ma'am all the time? Wearin' these 'orrible lace-y dresses instead of me waistcoat? S'just our luck 'e walks in the one time we…got a bit carried away." Jenny sighed, sitting down to her breakfast.
"Snogging on the kitchen table was his description." Vastra sniffed haughtily.
"What 'appened with Martha anyways?" Jenny cut in hastily, her voice a tone higher than usual.
"She fell in love with him, he destroyed her entire life, she saved the world. Quite the norm it seems for a companion of the Doctor. Although at least she left him before she too was lost." Vastra frowned.
There was a pause as Jenny digested this information and some bacon.
"Din't 'e offer you to be his companion?"
"Only the once, when we first met. I refused, quite wisely. The two of us are…too similar alas."
Jenny frowned at a piece of egg on her fork, considering this comparison. "I don' think you're nuffin' like 'im." She said decisively before eating the egg.
"No?" Vastra raised an eye ridge in surprise at the vehemence.
"Welllllll, fer all 'is warnings to be careful, 'e's lost two of 'is now. You still got me." Jenny shoved her now empty plate away, folded her arms and stuck her chin up.
Usually Vastra's smug smile annoyed Jenny, but this time the "cat that got the cream" look on Vastra's face merely made her lips quirk in their customary grin too.
An: Oh Jenny…one day you will meet River Song for the first time. I am so looking forward to that.
