9th November 1888

It was just after lunch time and Jenny was sat at a desk in her dark room, a cup of tea going cold next to her as she stared blankly at another list of reports on Ripper sightings. None of them had any viable information, most of them seemed made up rather than an actual encounter. Even the Paternoster Irregulars had little to report, beyond the fact there was a presence on the streets. Urchins walked a little more cautiously. She'd already warned all the girls to find a place before it got dark, not easy to do as the autumn waned and darkness came earlier.

Vastra went out every evening now, returning at dawn to wolf down some food before falling into bed. She returned uninjured, for which Jenny was grateful, but pale and demoralised, for there had been no further sign of the Ripper since he'd wounded Jenny. It itched, where it was healing. Dr Anderson had removed the stitches a few days ago and impressed upon her that she was to undertake no strenuous physical activity, particularly anything that might involve hunting down mass murderers. Jenny had submitted mutely to the order, as she had obeyed Vastra's order to stay indoors. The Irregulars and Parker had gone shopping for her when she needed it.

But the obeisance had meant that she saw very little of Vastra and was bored out of her skull. She was restless, and only the weariness caused by convalescence enabled her to sleep in an empty bed at night. She watched Vastra get dressed each night before leaving and checked her over before sending her to bed in the morning and that was about all she saw of her. She understood Vastra's determination all too well, the frustration at having let the Ripper slip through their hands, the fear that he would claim another victim before he could be caught. But it never quite allayed her own frustration and loneliness. She felt guilty about that.

Shaking her head, Jenny tried to concentrate on the report. Vastra had dumped a pile of them, given to her by Scotland Yard, before she retired for the day. Her concentration lasted all of two minutes before there was a knock at the back door. Grateful for the distraction, she hurried to open it, to find Ada and Dottie out of breath and frantic.

"There's bin another one, miss!" Ada gasped out.

Jenny didn't question her further, merely grabbed her cloak from the rack. "Show me." She swirled it around her before following them out, closing the door behind her. Luckily, there was no-one else in the yard. Parker had been almost as strict as Vastra at not letting Jenny lift a finger more than necessary. They hurried through busy morning streets, already filled with the buzz of gossip about the latest murder, all the long way to Spitalfields and Dorset Street, where a large group of policemen were congregating uselessly. Ada and Dottie, having brought Jenny this far, melted away and left her to try and gain access to the place.

She lightfooted her way past the first few groups of police easily, they weren't on guard, merely milling around and chatting. When challenged by an officer at the door, Jenny told him that she lived here and couldn't she get home, she needed to get in to see to her infant child, would the man let a baby starve? Yes, she knew all about the Ripper but that didn't stop babies being hungry. The man gave an exasperated sigh but let her through. She hurried up the stairs and out of his sight, hiding behind a corner as two more policemen walked downstairs. They looked pale and sweaty, as if they'd been sick. She took the stairs they'd just come down and saw a door open from the landing. Her heart beat faster as she approached it, peering round silently to look.

There was a lot of blood. That's what her mind supplied, trying to think logically, analytically. The body looked…opened. She blinked. She'd seen dead bodies before, had seen her mother, her brother, her sister, all cold and dead and still but this was her first proper…corpse. This wasn't death. This was murder and mutilation. Even as she fought down the urge to vomit, she stepped closer, wanting to etch the details into her mind. This is what it looks like. This is what it looks like. So this is what it looks like when the body has been opened like a sack and its contents emptied and skin flung back.

She was so caught up in her observations, she didn't notice the thuds of footfalls on the stairs, or the faint voices getting louder.

The door was flung wide open. "It never gets any easier…" a voice was saying. It stopped. "What the…who the devil are you?"

"Jenny?!"

She was spun round by someone, noticed the veil, wondered briefly who it was and how they knew her name. "What is she…" the veiled lady turned to someone at the door then turned back to her, giving her a little shake. "What are you doing out?! Get back to the house!"

She blinked, recognising the voice at last and the veil…became see-through once more. The realisation that for a moment she hadn't been able to see through it struck her and she sagged into Vastra's arms.

"Jenny?" the voice became gentle.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." She muttered, trying not to open her mouth too much as she spoke.

"Sit here." She was guided to a chair, sat with her head in her hands as Vastra talked with an Inspector, explaining briefly who Jenny was, then discussing the case. She listened, unable to stop herself, even when the coroner went into detail. She tried not to, as she'd tried not to see the whole of what was there, only small parts, attempting to break down the awfulness into manageable chunks. Still. She was a Flint. Even if she felt sick, she wasn't about to faint, even though, when she heard the words "as you can see, the heart has been removed", she wanted to. Her own was beating a vivid tattoo. It was strangely reassuring, reminding her she was alive.

"He is progressing in his mutilations." She heard Vastra murmur. She smiled to herself. Of course, a man-eating Silurian who had torn the arms off of people with their mouth would have no problems examining a scene like that.

She looked up, finally feeling clear-headed enough to do so. Vastra had been watching her out the corner of her eye, walking over when she noticed Jenny's head come up.

"You should return home."

"But…" Jenny gestured weakly.

"There are no clues to be found here, except that he is growing ever more confident and deranged." Vastra shook her head. "Gentlemen." She gave a small bow to the Inspector and the coroner, then tugged Jenny upright and dragged her out the door.

"Who told you?" she asked, not relinquishing Jenny's arm as they went downstairs.

"I ain't getting anyone in trouble." Jenny tried to tug her arm back but Vastra kept her firm grip, even when they stepped out onto the street. Parker's son was waiting, sat on top of the cab, stolidly eating a hunk of bread and meat.

"Get in." Vastra pushed Jenny into the cab and slammed the door shut behind her.

"I ain't doin' any strenuous activity." Jenny pointed out. There was no reply. "S'daylight and everythin'." That didn't get a response either, except a continued glower. Annoyed at the lack of response, her mouth ran ahead of her mind, asking what was foremost in it. "Is that what it looked like when you killed people?"

A sharp intake of breath.

Jenny didn't usually watch Vastra eating. She knew it was only animal meat, knew that the blood she filled the wine carafe with was animal blood. But the Silurian seemed self-conscious about it. As if the sight would remind Jenny that Vastra wasn't human. Jenny hadn't bothered telling her there was a myriad of little things that reminded Jenny of that anyway, beside the skin and the eating habits. Jenny took them all in her stride, accepting them, even if she felt frustrated sometimes. Vastra could tell her certain things before she found them out after all and didn't. It was part of the deal and Jenny thought she'd accepted that. Accepted her flawed morality. And she had, for the most part. But some morbid part of her had to know. Is that what it looked like? Is that the reality? When you said eating people, when you said you had an arm hanging from your mouth, is that what it looked like? When people found the bodies, did it look like that? Were their hearts missing too? She struggled to close her mouth on all the questions lining up, determined to watch patiently for a reply to the first one.

Vastra made sure the curtains were closed then slowly removed her veil, holding it in her gloved hands, resting in her lap. "A little. Sometimes worse." She gazed coldly at Jenny.

Jenny gave a small nod and lapsed into silence, staring back at Vastra, directly into her eyes. The Silurian was the first to look away.

Vastra went straight to bed, without eating, and without saying another word to Jenny, admonitory or otherwise. Sometimes Jenny could slap the Silurian for her silences. Other times they worried her. This was one of the rare occasions when Jenny was content to let Vastra sulk it out, without being unduly bothered by it. She got Vastra's outfit ready, cleaned her swords, though they were unused. She went through her stances, to see how far she could stretch the wound. She had a quiet dinner with Parker, who'd heard of her escapade and now was also employing silence, in a stern capacity, to convey his disapproval.

What worried her was the thought of that happening to Vastra. The Silurian was quick, strong, guarded but Jenny had thought that about herself and had still been struck. She watched intently as Vastra got ready, buckling up sword belts and tying cloaks on, trying to fix the image in her mind, to wipe out the other ones still fresh and vivid, to make the image of Vastra whole and unhurt so intense in her mind, no matter what happened, that would be how she always saw her. She wished she had any talent at drawing, she'd paint her, sketch her, in this moment and others. Just so she would always have that. The intensity of her gaze made Vastra raise an eye ridge at her in silent question. She shrugged, in silent answer. But her hands were tying knots in a dish rag, still in her hand from doing the washing up and Vastra crossed over and stilled them with her own.

"Jenny."

"Be careful." Jenny gritted her teeth to try and stop the tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't wanna see you like that."

Surprised warmth flooded Vastra's eyes and she pulled Jenny into her arms. It was uncomfortable due to the mail and the armour and the belts, but Jenny clung to Vastra anyway, half crushed in the embrace.

"I will find him. I promise you that. He will not escape again. He will not kill anyone again." Vastra hissed in her ear.

Jenny nodded, stepped back, her gaze once more resolute. "When you find 'im…eat 'im. For me."

Vastra startled expression at such a sentiment soon morphed into a cold grin, her eyes glittering. "I assure you, my dear, I will." She kissed Jenny on the lips, drew up her hood and swept out the door into the night.

A satisfied smile spread across Jenny's lips. Her morality was flawed, but then again, so were human beings. Some, she decided, beyond redemption. And after what she had seen, perhaps an ending such as Vastra could give them was only fitting.