9th November 1888

Usually when Vastra went out, Jenny would spend a few hours trying to distract herself and then go to bed. But after seeing one of the Ripper's victims for herself, she couldn't quell her dread. She wandered from room to room, did another set of exercises, allowing herself to feel some relief that she was improving. She had supper, did the washing up with far more vigour than necessary. Made herself a cup of tea. Forgot about it. Made another. Contemplated scrubbing out the stove and renewing the black lead. Finally drank her tea, washed her cup up and returned to wandering from room to room, looking out onto the street from every window that faced it. Not that it was likely either Vastra or the Ripper would be there. They were some way from his hunting ground.

Eventually she collapsed onto the sofa in the living room, picking up books and reading half a page before becoming bored and moving onto the next. She was in the middle of this process, her eyes barely taking in the words, when a strange whooshing noise echoed throughout the house. She dashed out into the corridor, grabbed her sword and then fought her way against a strong draught, all the way to the drawing room. She shouldered the door open, just as the draught died and the noise faded away. She stared, stunned at the large blue box sitting on the carpet. It had the words Police Public Call Box written all the way around the top and a large white notice on one of the doors.

She inched towards it very carefully and, throwing caution to the wind, knocked on the door. There was no reply. She pressed her ear against it and could hear nothing except a very low humming. She walked all the way around it. It sat there, being completely unobtrusive apart from the fact it was a large blue box, in the middle of their drawing room. She hoped that whatever mechanism it had used to get itself there was still working because otherwise getting it out was going to cause substantial problems.

Jenny considered that it might be an alien spaceship. But if it was an alien spaceship, why did it have things in English written on it? She didn't know what a Call Box was but she was pretty sure police didn't have them. She frowned. Remembered the Space Pirates. They'd been time travellers. Perhaps, in the future, police did have Call Boxes. Perhaps, they could materialise anywhere there was a major crime happening. Like a sort of teleport. She walked all the way around it again. If they did, it would explain why it had come here, at this time. It wanted to talk to them about the Ripper.

She reached the door again. She knocked more firmly. "Hello?" She called out. Still nothing.

She went and sheathed her sword and put it back on the rack. She came back to find it still sat there. It projected an aura of innocence. Jenny scowled at it. It seemed even police from the future didn't want to talk to the maid. She snorted and went off to scour the range to relieve her anger at mysterious blue boxes appearing that wouldn't answer her. Although, she admitted, kneeling by the range with a tin of black lead, it did take her mind off the fact that Vastra still wasn't back yet.

She was just wiping down the top when she heard the front door. Glanced at the kitchen clock and was surprised. As much as she desperately wanted Vastra to come home, it wasn't yet morning. Her heart leapt. Did that mean…? Unless it wasn't Vastra…she walked out into the hall with an air of studied calm. It was Vastra. Unless there was someone else who walked around with a large hooded cape and a large sword.

"You're back early ma'am. Another case cracked I assume." She asked.

The hooded figure rested their sword on the top of the rack.

"Send a telegram to Inspector Abberline of the Yard. Jack the Ripper has claimed his last victim."

"How did you find him?" Jenny asked, amazed. It'd only been this morning that they'd found another victim and Vastra hadn't mentioned any clues as to his whereabouts.

The figure threw its hood back to reveal the familiar scales and grin.

"Stringy. But tasty all the same. I shan't be needing dinner."

So she had eaten him. Jenny tried not to be amused and pleased about that.

"Congratulations ma'am." She took a small breath, because Vastra had only just got back and catching the Ripper was certainly something to celebrate but… "However," she debated the best way to say it. Vastra had always said that a case was a case and that as swiftly as one was solved another arose, but this was quite a big thing to spring on her. Jenny stepped forward and waved her wash cloth nervously. "A matter has arisen in the drawing room."

Vastra stared at her blankly but followed Jenny curiously when she disappeared into the aforementioned room.

"It just appeared!" Jenny gestured at the blue box. "What does it mean?" she asked as Vastra strode towards it.

"It means," and Jenny was surprised at the slight shake in the voice. "a very old debt is to be repaid." Vastra stared at it and Jenny got the feeling that this was something serious. Possibly even more serious than Jack the Ripper. Vastra turned to her. "Pack the cases, Jenny. We're going to need the swords."

Well that sounded interesting at least. And the "we're" indicated, along with the Ripper's demise, that she might finally be allowed out the house. And that her injury would not be an obstacle to accompanying Vastra. But what was the very old debt… something else Vastra hadn't told her about no doubt, Jenny sighed as she headed down into the basement.

"And wear your trousers!" Vastra called after her.

It didn't take long for Jenny to pack the two sword cases and two suitcases of clothes. She hauled on her trousers and then stood carrying everything in front of the blue box.

Vastra reached up, and with a moment of hesitation that only Jenny noticed, knocked.

The door flung open immediately, to Jenny's disgust.

"Vastra!" a skinny young man with floppy hair and a huge chin hugged Vastra and then beckoned her in. "And Jenny too, of course." His grin faltered at the sight of her scowl. He pointed both his fingers at her. "Yes. Definitely need you both. And your swords! Good to see you prepared." He pointed to the cases and then into the box.

Jenny had walked all the way around that box. It was barely big enough for two people, let alone luggage, but she lifted everything and hauled it through the doorway.

And stared.

The strange man, who'd hugged Vastra, was eyeing her in anticipation. Vastra was also watching her closely.

"Wot?" she managed.

He sighed heavily. "You didn't say it! Everyone says it. Eventually."

"Says what?!" Jenny stared at him, baffled.

"It's…" he gestured for her to finish the sentence.

"Alien?" she tried.

"Yes. And?"

"A spaceship?"

"Yes. And?!"

"It can teleport."

"Well yes. AND?!"

"…s'got a Roman soldier in it?"

"Ugh! Useless!" the man gave up on her and turned to Vastra. Jenny made a rude gesture at his back in retaliation for the "useless". The Roman soldier she'd noticed standing a little way back from the console shrugged at her but gave a small supportive smile.

"You've regenerated again I see." Vastra said delicately. Jenny's head jerked around to stare in amazement. The Doctor? This was the Doctor?! She liked him even less than the last one. Nothing to do with the random hugging of Vastra of course.

"Yes." The Doctor was saying, running a hand through his long hair. "Been a while now acutally. Sorry. Should've called earlier. But I've got a bit of a to-do on my hands you see."

"I surmised as much by the presence of the TARDIS." Vastra gestured around her. "Still bigger on the inside I see."

"Thank you!" The Doctor sighed with relief.

"So. You need my help to save your life?"

"Eh. Well." He clapped his hands, rubbing them together. "It's not exactly my life but I figure it's a life, it's being saved. Who cares about the details?" he grinned at them. "This is a much more important life. Well, let's get you settled in, shall we? Got to get a few more people together I'm afraid, so this'll be rather a trip. This is Rory by the way." The Doctor bounded over to the Roman and clapped him around the shoulders. "It's his wife and baby we'll be saving."

"Hi." Rory the Roman Soldier waved his sword at them awkwardly.

"This way!" He leapt along a corridor as if he had frogs in his shoes and skidded to a halt outside a room. Flinging open the room, they got a glimpse of bunk beds before the Doctor looked at them both. "Ah. Yes. No. Had complaints about that." He closed the door and then opened it again. The bunk beds had turned into a lovely double bed complete with canopy.

Jenny felt a headache coming on as she followed Vastra into the room, dumping their cases down by the door, which closed behind her. She shut her eyes to try and stop the faint spinning sensation. She hadn't had any sleep, she realised, since last night and it'd been quite an eventful day.

"Jenny?" Vastra sounded concerned.

Jenny merely repeated her earlier question. "What?"

"This…is the TARDIS. Time and Relative Dimension in Space. A time travel machine."

"And it can…change…" she gestured weakly at the bed.

"Ah. Yes." Vastra grinned. "Useful hm?"

Jenny walked over to it and sat down heavily. Well at least it was solid enough.

"So what're we doing here then?"

"Going to save a life. Or help to." Vastra sat down on the bed beside Jenny.

"An' thas the old debt?"

"I told you before did I not? About how I met the Doctor?"

Jenny nodded. Months of tension and evenings fraught with worry were beginning to catch up on her. She wanted nothing more than to curl up on this quite frankly luxurious bed and fall asleep. Her headache seemed to be getting worse.

Vastra frowned when she mentioned it. "The TARDIS is telepathic but it shouldn't be causing headaches. Maybe it's space sickness?"

"Fantastic." Jenny muttered, remembering the trip to Japan and her seasickness and the Doctor's comment that this would be "rather a trip".

"Rest." Vastra advised. "I'll see if the Doctor can prescribe anything." She left the room.

Jenny tugged her nightgown out of her suitcase, swiftly changed into and flopped under the covers. She was asleep in seconds.

The next morning brought momentary confusion. Vastra wasn't there and when she tried to find a bathroom so she could got to the loo, the doorway wasn't where it was meant to be. She opened the only doorway there, to find herself in a strange corridor. She slammed the door shut, closed her eyes and allowed memory to bring explanation.

When she opened them again the door had changed. She cautiously opened it to find a bathroom, unlike any she had ever seen before. There wasn't a box around the toilet and there was a strange small room with a hose…her mind somehow supplied the word "shower".

She eyed it warily and settled for using the toilet and the bath instead.

There was still no sign of Vastra when she was dressed once again. She'd decided on trousers and a clean cotton shirt. After all, there was no knowing what would be on the TARDIS. After a moment's thought she took her sword with her. There really was no knowing.

She wandered the corridors for a little while, trying to find the console room or preferably a kitchen when she spotted familiar green scales.

"Vastra!" she ran up and grabbed her arm. "Wh…What're you wearin'?" She suddenly noticed the strange attire. It looked like chainmail armour.

The Silurian hissed at her, tugging her arm out of Jenny's grasp before walking off with an affronted huff.

"Oi! Vastra!" Jenny strode after her.

"Grimaya."

"What?"

"My name is not Vastra, ape, it is Grimaya."

"Is this some kind of joke?" Jenny struggled to keep up with her. It…it was Vastra. She was sure of it.

The Silurian stopped and stared at her. "I do not joke with apes."

Jenny looked up into blue eyes but they were cold and blank. This…wasn't Vastra.

"Grimaya!" A voice called out. Jenny turned and…there was another…someone who looked like Vastra. In the same get up as the one in front of her. The second Silurian strode up to them. "What are you doing chatting to an ape?" Another set of blue eyes stared at her in mild disgust. Jenny tensed, her hand twitching towards her sword. Whoever they were, if they didn't stop calling her ape…

"Being annoyed." Grimaya shrugged artlessly.

"The Doctor is calling a meeting. Kyltra is waiting for us in the conference room off the console. There are a few more parts of the plan to go over."

"Then let us go, Bol."

"Bring the ape if you want. I could do with a snack." 'Bol' flashed a nasty grin at Jenny.

It disappeared when Jenny drew her sword.

"The ape has a claw." Bol laughed. "Can you use it?"

A sword blade appeared at her throat.

"Of course she can. I taught her how."

Jenny turned and found a third set of blue eyes and wondered how she could've possibly mistaken the other Silurian for Vastra.

Grimaya stared at Vastra. "You taught an ape?" She looked back at Jenny.

"Grimaya! Bol! You're late. And the Doctor told us about the apes. Leave it alone." Another Silurian appeared in the corridor.

Grimaya and Bol immediately stood to attention. Without even a backward glance they strode off.

"Are you alright?" Vastra asked, sheathing her sword. "Jenny." She gently laid a hand on Jenny's arm.

The sword lowered, but the expression of someone who has been slapped in the face by several sharks did not leave Jenny's face.

She wasn't sure which emotion was foremost. Shock at seeing other Silurians, anger at being called an ape, a strange smugness at the way Vastra had protected her…against other Silurians no less! Other Silurians! And they all looked the same?

She was only vaguely aware of Vastra relieving her of her sword and guiding her along the corridor.

"I'm afraid explanations will have to wait. We have a meeting to attend."