An: Ooh another Arc. I'll try and make it a short one this time.

Vastra decided she too wanted a cooked breakfast but after remembering the fiasco of the last time she'd tried to make breakfast with the Irregulars, wisely left it to Jenny. Jenny grumbled slightly about it but once chatting to Mrs Parker she'd been informed of the time "yon mistress tried to make breakfast once whilst you were away". Jenny liked her frying pan. It was good for brandishing at people and she didn't want a hole in it.

She tipped the sausage and bacon onto Vastra's plate and the Silurian's tongue shot out to grab a sausage and recoiled at the heat.

"Yes. It's hot." Jenny shook her head and then frowned in thought. "The Irregulars ain't bin round yet."

"Perhaps they know." Vastra shrugged, taking the knife and fork Jenny handed to her with an air of contempt, as if she considered the utensils inferior.

"Know what?" Jenny went to the sink to start soaking the pan.

"That it is, according to the Doctor, Valentine's Day." Vastra winced as the knife scraped on the bottom of the plate.

"Valentine's Day…" Jenny eyed Vastra suspiciously.

"Mm. He apologised when I told him what date it was. But told me it was still no excuse for such reckless behaviour." Vastra snorted and delicately picked up a slice of bacon and put it in her mouth whole.

"I don' think we was that reckless." Jenny slid back into her seat.

"Possibly a little. Imagine if Parker had walked in."

Jenny froze, a look of mild terror on her face and Vastra continue eating her breakfast, observing the rictus with amusement.

"If'n the wind changes wiv yer face like that, it sticks y'know." Peggy commented as she nonchalantly walked in. She'd been turning up with the Irregulars regularly since the escapade with the Hound from London Below. Jenny had noticed that the Irregulars treated her with a wary respect. Possibly something to do with her trained rat that sat on her shoulder and slept in her ragged coat and looked at people with a knowing expression. According to Peggy, when she'd finally introduced it, its name was Anagesic and had spouted off a number of strict rules. Namely, no touching, no stroking, utmost politeness in addressing and absolutely no screaming. Or throwing things.

The rat stared intently at Jenny for a second before bounding down Peggy's arm onto the table, sitting at the edge of Vastra's plate with its whiskers quivering. Vastra cautiously gave it a bit of sausage and it sat on its haunches and nibbled it politely.

Peggy tilted her head enquiringly and Jenny shook herself before getting up and taking Vastra's now empty plate to the sink. Peggy slid into her vacated seat and spread her hands on the table top, entering into a glowering match with Vastra who, despite Peggy warning them about Torchwood, had still not really forgiven the urchin for getting Jenny lost. Neither the Doctor nor Peggy had explained further about Croup and Vandemar but the two hadn't reappeared so Jenny left it at that.

"There." Jenny leaned over and handed her a chunk of bread. "Got anythin' for us?" the question was automatic rather than a serious enquiry. There had been a dearth of cases over the winter months, just as well with her arm still healing and being unable to train.

"Might have." Peggy said mysteriously through a mouthful of bread. Her rat delicately picked up the crumbs that got sprayed as she did so and ate them.

Jenny and Vastra's heads jerked in unison at that. Jenny was not the only one who had been bored.

"Might be a bit…Below you." Peggy grinned and Jenny noticed that her front teeth were not too dissimilar to her rat's.

"Below?"

"No." Vastra said firmly, having caught the inference.

"You ain't even 'eard wot it is yet. S'a…sort of a missing persons case."

"Who's gone missin'?" Jenny asked, ignoring Vastra's refusal.

"Dunno who it is. Just know they ain't meant to be in London Below. Certain people there want 'em out. Well you know what it's like. Things in London Below that don't like…visitors. Might draw attention. Thought you might be able to help out."

"Why?"

"Bit infamous you is, killin' one of the Isle Dogs." Peggy waggled her eyebrows as she brushed crumbs off her sleeves for her rat. "Got some attenshun an' respect. They values that sort of thing in Below."

"We refuse the case." Vastra interjected tartly. "Jenny's arm is not yet fully recovered and I don't trust anything to do with…Below."

"You sure?" Peggy's shoulders slumped. "Well I guess we wouldn't be able to pay you or nuffin' either. Fair, fair." She collected Anagesic and skipped out.

"Oi!" Jenny called after her. "What'd'you refuse for?" She turned on Vastra.

"Exactly as I said. Your arm is not yet fully recovered to go off fighting dogs and goodness knows what else."

Jenny went to say more but stopped as she noticed Vastra's twitchiness. Something about Below unnerved Vastra. But still, the young woman disliked the idea of someone lost in that place, as she knew all too well the cost that could be incurred for trespassing there. She went to wash up and mull over how to convince Vastra to take the case when there was a flurry of knocks at the front door. With a sigh, Jenny wiped her hands on a towel and went to answer it.

"Ah! Good day. Is Madame Vastra about this morning?" It was Abberline. Jenny was shocked; he'd never called on the house before. She hadn't even known he knew where they lived.

"If you wait here in the hall a second, I'll just go find 'er." Jenny beckoned him in and showed him through into the conservatory.

Vastra was already sat there, veil on. She'd heard the knocks.

"Ah! Madame Vastra. Thank god. We've um…well it's rather important. There's been a kidnapping. Well we suspect a kidnapping. It's a little political. Do you know the Prime Minister?"

"Not intimately."

"It's his wife." Abberline said dejectedly. "I'm under a bit of pressure on this one. I have no idea. Well perhaps if you see the scene you'd understand."

He was sweating, Jenny noticed.

"If you wait a moment, Jenny and I will be out shortly." Vastra waved him away.

"Jenny? Oh. Yes. Your maid. Of course." He smiled stiffly.

Jenny resisted the urge to thump Abberline in the face for that. She settled for smiling demurely in return with just a hint of contempt as he nodded, bowed to Vastra and walked out, nervously twirling his bowler hat and wiping his forehead.

"Looks like you'll be takin' the case after all then." Peggy poked her head from round the side of a potted plant.

Vastra hissed in alarm at the sudden reappearance.

"Before you go swannin' off to see this crime scene, you'd best come with me. She's in Below. But it's a bit difficult you see. Might need the 'elp of the Isle Dog Slayer on this one."

"The Isle wot?"

"The Isle Dog Slayer. S'wot you're known as in Below." Peggy bowed mockingly.

Jenny contemplated the fact that she was picking up quite a few titles that she'd never be able to tell people about in regular conversation, what with the Kraal considering her the Great Warrior of Earth as well.

"You want me to go Below?" Vastra sniffed haughtily.

"Nah. Tis Lord Rat Speaker wants to speak to Jenny here. You won't be needed."

Vastra took off her veil to glower in a most affronted fashion at the scruffy urchin.

"Well you don' like Below anyways. And Jenny's bin before. And you could say as what she's closer to it then you are. Got connections like. Anyways, this is person'l. I'll look after 'er don't worry. Sides Abberline's expectin' you ain't he. An' thas how it works right? You be all respectable for the toffs an' Jenny finds out stuff in the places wot they wouldn't think to look."

"I do slightly more than that." Vastra said in icy tones as she stood up.

Peggy cowered slightly. "I know you does fightin' too. I seen it. No need ter eat me."

Jenny stepped in. "P'raps thas best ey? I'll go find out wot she knows an' you go meet with Abberline an' we'll meet back here."

"Your arm is not even fully healed."

"Me arm's fine."

"You haven't trained for months!"

"I killed the Isle Dog with hardly a scrap of it. 'Sides they ain't gonna want a maid hangin' round a Prime Minister's house. Remember at Scotland Yard?"

Vastra looked Jenny in the eye, saw her determination in the lifted chin and gave up with a heavy sigh. She shot out an arm, lifted Peggy bodily off the ground and held her at eye level.

"If there is so much as one scratch…"

"You'll eat me?" Peggy's nose quivered and she hunched into her jacket.

"Not at first." Vastra snarled.

"Vastra!" Jenny scolded the Silurian, who dropped Peggy, dusted her hands off and picked up her veil once more. Jenny grabbed her arm and pulled her close.

"I'll be alright. Trust me."

Vastra sighed again as she saw Jenny's eyes light up. She'd seen them light up like that before, with that spirit of adventure, when they'd been robbing banks, when Jenny had first come up with the idea of tracking down criminals. She wanted to keep Jenny safe but she could tell that Jenny didn't particularly want to be kept safe. She settled for a gentle press of her lips against Jenny's and then walked out to join Abberline, flicking her veil so it settled properly about her shoulders.

Jenny didn't quite rush to the basement but it was a very fast walk. She changed swiftly into her jodphurs and waistcoat, slinging her sword belt over her head to settle at her waist once more. The weight was comfortable and reassuring; Jenny felt as if she'd been missing a limb and now it had been reattached.

"Ver' nice." Peggy said, creeping up behind her once more and admiring her outfit. "I won't tell 'er you grinned at the thought of goin' Below." She grinned at Jenny's outraged expression. "C'mon then."

"How do we get to London Below anyway…" Jenny wasn't about to fight with her guide as she got dragged back up the basement steps and out the back way of the kitchen onto the streets. For such a skinny scrap, Peggy could pull vehemently enough.

"Without gettin' into trouble? I takes you to see Lord Rat Speaker. He…wants a word anyways."

"Why does 'e…"

"Ah!" Peggy cut her off and Jenny had to puzzle in silence as she was pulled along. She felt invisible in the company of Peggy. They moved like wraiths down back alleys and across rooftops. After climbing down an access ladder that Jenny thought was taking them into the sewers, they finally ended up in a subterranean room so dark Jenny couldn't see her own hand. All she could hear was a rustling sound and then a flare of a match blinded her.

After her eyes had recovered, she realised they were surrounded by rats in a large underground cavern. It was filthy and reeked and there were rats everywhere and people more ragged than Peggy were staring at her, looking up from fires. Some of them Jenny wasn't sure were even human.

"Lord Rat Speaker!" Peggy called out to a shadowy figure sitting on a ledge above the whole scene. "I brought her."

The figure rose up, its shadow lengthening up the wall before it gently hopped down. As it walked out of the shadows into the light of the fire, Jenny's eyes went wide in recognition.

"Jenny. It's been a long time."

He was older, hair long, eyes piercing and bitter now in a face unshaven with haggard features but Jenny knew him in an instant. Even if she didn't quite believe it.

"Albie?"

AN: OOHHHHHHHH who saw that coming?