An: Hopefully this MASSIVE repost should fix the corruption issues I've also added on all the chapters that were on ao3

Vastra remembered the moon from long ago. Remembered its shining brilliance, through a sky less polluted than the current one, filled with city smog and the dim orange glow that sapped the strength of the burning stars. As a child, she would sneak out, all the way up through the dark tunnels, weaving through the underground labyrinth until she reached the small round discs that would send warriors to the surface, the lush rainforest and the swampy heat. And then she would climb, as she'd seen her mother do when they were hunting beasts, clinging to creepers as they in turn clung to the trees, further and higher until she broke the canopy and emerged into clear air and saw the shining moon above her. The first time she'd snuck out she'd gotten terribly lost and had wandered half the night trying to find her way back, with only the light of the moon to guide her back to a terrified mother who barred her from going out again. Not that that stopped Vastra, and in later years she very much suspected her mother was aware of all those sleepless nights spent above the canopy.

When she gained years and became a Warrior in her own right, she would travel on missions, overland and in clearings and on beaches, if the missions took her to the realm of the water Silurians, she would gaze for hours, basking in the light that gave no warmth, as the sun did, but did not blind either. She felt the truth was revealed in that soft light, that world of silver and shadow, although she was never able to express what she felt that truth was.

The night-time wanderings had been kept as a habit, even in this world, filled with apes. There were no longer quiet moments, to admire it and reflect but still she would wander, until she became lost once more, in the labyrinth that was the streets of London, terror no longer gripping her; she was the terror now, at least to apes.

But then, she'd met Jenny and, after a few nights out, had grown accustomed to sleeping beside the little ape. It had been far quicker than she would ever admit, before she infinitely preferred the warm, gently snoring presence of Jenny to the cold streets and the moonlight.

One of the things she liked about Paternoster Row is that the windows faced so that the moon would shine through, eventually. She liked to draw back the curtain and see Jenny lying there, her hair darker than ever, already shifting over in her sleep, searching for the absent Silurian, at which point Vastra would twitch the curtains back across and slide back into bed. At some point Jenny had become her moon, that she gazed on reflectively, as well as her sun that warmed her, her little ball of heat.

They sat on the beach, Vastra curled up between Jenny's legs, watching the moons slowly ascend until the whole world seemed blazing in silver. Vastra turned her head to watch Jenny instead and the young woman tilted her head until she could press her forehead against Vastra's. Vastra smiled and leaned into the touch. Jenny seemed relaxed, as if she merely wished to share the gesture. It took Vastra a while to realise that the feelings of peace and love was not wholly hers.

It was starting to crick Jenny's neck, leaning at an angle that she could keep her forehead against Vastra's and with a sigh she removed it and stretched out, feeling disgruntled at the loss of the touch and the connection. Who knew when it would occur again? It was so haphazard in its manifestation. She shrugged it off. It wasn't as if she was going to give up trying, so what did it matter?

I'm cold

"Well let's get back to the cabin then." She shifted herself to get up, dislodging Vastra, holding out a hand to help the Silurian when she rose slowly. Vastra's smile seemed…strange and yet Jenny was happy too, so she merely smiled back, leading the way back through the dunes.

"Better?" Jenny murmured, when they were once more wrapped up in bed.

Yes.

Good.

The next morning was spent going through the suitcases of clothes. Jenny was delighted to find much better replacements for corsets than a tied up shirt.

"Fink I might 'ave to keep some of these. Or get George to make me some up." There was a similar tight short vest made out of a different material that had matching shorts. Vastra deduced this was a bathing suit and suggested, after a leisurely morning, some swimming in the sea.

Jenny had not yet learned to swim, outside of disasters, in any kind of water and watched the foaming waves with slight trepidation as Vastra, in a pair of purple bathing trousers, waded into the water. But seeing as her wife was able to go quite far out without the water being above her waist, Jenny felt brave enough to follow. Beyond the point where the waves crested it was surprisingly calm and the water warm. She knelt down, letting the water wash about her body, crouched until only her head was above water, finally getting the nerve to duck her head under. She came back up blowing water and rubbing at her eyes. When she'd stopped them stinging, she realised she could no longer see Vastra and looked about her, panicking slightly. She waded further out, calling Vastra's name, almost falling over into the water as she tried to wade faster but there was still no sign.

She was so busy scanning the horizon she didn't look down into the water and didn't see the murky shape coming straight towards her. She felt the sharp tug at her leg and fell backwards, flailing her arms and kicking out to try and stop herself from going under or being dragged away. Whatever it was let go and she splashed her way back onto her feet, peering intently into the water. Was this how Vastra had disappeared, dragged away beneath the sea? She unconsciously fell into a stance as she turned in a slow circle, striking out when the water in front of her erupted.

"Ow!" Vastra rubbed her chin ruefully.

"Thas what you get for tryin' to scare me!" Jenny breathed deeply to try and calm her heartrate down, clutching at her chest.

Vastra looked mournful, diving like an otter to glide in a gentle circle around Jenny, standing slowly when she was in front of her once more. She leant down to give a gentle headbutt and found herself sprawling backwards into the sea as Jenny tackled her round the middle. Laughing, she hugged her wife to her, half floating in the water, with Jenny against her bare chest.

"Come on. There's a warmer patch further out." Vastra let go and started swimming backstroke out to sea, gazing backwards at her wife.

Jenny rolled onto her back and kicked out with her legs, not bothering with her arms as she found her legs propelled her along perfectly well. Her wife let her catch up and they swum out together.

The sea was up to her chest by the time they reached Vastra's warm spot.

"You swam underwater all the way back to me?" Jenny marvelled at Vastra's lung capacity as she stared at the now distant shore.

Vastra dove sleekly beneath the surface and Jenny tracked the dark shadow as it swam around her in a lazy spiral. She took a breath, held her nose and dropped beneath the surface, paddling a little bit to keep herself there. She opened her eyes for a brief second, to see Vastra, moving like an arrow, like an otter, twisting in the water. The salt water didn't seem to trouble her eyes as Jenny's eyes blinked open again to see her wife picking something up off the sea floor.

Her lungs were burning by this point so Jenny put her legs down and stood up, wishing she could keep her eyes open and hold her breath longer. Vastra broke the surface a second later.

"Perhaps that was the purpose of that mask." Vastra remarked when Jenny lamented the lack of being able to see.

"You don't need one?"

"Silurian eyes." Vastra shrugged. "Would you like to swim out further or back to shore?"

"Think I'd like to learn more about swimmin' before I do either. I ain't exactly had much trainin' in it."

"You wish to train on our honeymoon?" Vastra was surprised.

Jenny merely stood close to her, with her back to Vastra's chest, her hands grasping Vastra's. "So. How do I move me arms like you do?"

Indeed, Vastra reflected later on, relaxing in the bath with Jenny after returning to the shore, the "training" had been a delightful idea, resulting in hugs and kisses and playfulness, such as Jenny kicking her legs far too vigorously on the surface of the water in order to spray Vastra with water. She'd teach Jenny to dive tomorrow, properly equipped with the mask that they'd found in Jenny's suitcase. Jenny was trying it out in the bath, splashing round and under the water, taking great delight in tugging at Vastra's toes whenever the Silurian let her catch them. The ape was becoming increasingly agile and confident, propelling herself round the huge bathtub. Vastra suspected any baths taken while they were in holiday would be lengthy affairs in the future, but she was enjoying the steamy warmth of the water herself and was not complaining at being able to soak in it. She wondered if some such large pool could be built in 13 Paternoster Row, perhaps beneath the floor of the Plant Room.

Eventually she persuaded her wife to wash herself and get out as she noticed Jenny's skin wrinkle from the water, but it filled her up with joy when Jenny's grin didn't fade, even when the wrinkles had.

Vastra had never seen her wife as excitable as the next morning; she could hardly get Jenny to sit still long enough for Vastra to brush and plait her hair. They made their way down to the sea as soon as their breakfast had settled. Vastra declined going in the water right away, for though the sun was baking it had not yet fully warmed the sea. Instead, they lazed together on a woven mat.

"I found this when I was lookin' for the mask." Jenny showed Vastra a bottle she'd dug out of the small bag they'd brought with them. "It sez I should put it on when I'm out in the sun."

"What is it?" Vastra opened the bottle and sniffed it curiously.

"Some kind of cream." Jenny grinned. "Will you put it on for me?" she turned round on the mat so her back was to Vastra.

Vastra squeezed a moderate amount onto her hand and slowly smoothed the cream across Jenny's shoulders, enjoying the sensation. Jenny finally sat still as Vastra continued, moving her hands down Jenny's arms and tangling their fingers together as she buried her nose in Jenny's hair. The salt and sun made it smell warm and tangy, mixing with the faint tones left from the fruit shampoo Jenny had used last night.

She returned her attention to Jenny's back, smoothing her hands down to Jenny's sides and tickling her gently. She was rewarded with an "Oi!" and a laughing Jenny sprawling backwards into her lap. She took the opportunity to apply more cream to Jenny's arms and got a boop on the nose as her reward, as Jenny stretched her arms up. She wrinkled it at the sensation of the cool cream.

"Don't you need any? Or is it a case of Silurian skin?" Jenny shifted forward and spun round so Vastra could treat her legs.

"As Silurians lived mainly underground and in thick jungle, it is entirely probable that I can get 'sunburnt'." Vastra shrugged. "My usual oil should protect me sufficiently however." She nodded towards the bag. "I brought it with me."

"Your turn then?" Jenny asked as Vastra put the cap back on the bottle, before placing it back in the bag.

Vastra grinned and passed her bottle of oil to Jenny, lying down on her front.

Jenny had received many a massage from Vastra but had never given one in return; naked touch was something reserved for only the most intimate moments. So she was delighted at this new closeness and found that giving a massage was almost as mesmerising as receiving one, if requiring a little more physical effort. She discovered swirls and patterns in the scales and their directions, fell in love with the way they rippled as Vastra tensed or stretched her back and shoulder muscles. The small scales that gave way to leathery skin, the lines or patches of larger scales that seemed to protect muscles. The contented clicks Vastra gave when she knelt up on her knees and smoothed oil onto Vastra's head crests as Vastra sat in front of her. She had a terrible thought, that Vastra must have desperately missed the comforting caresses of other Silurians. She hugged Vastra to her and held her for a moment, soft and warm from the sun and Jenny's touch.

Jenny answered Vastra's questioning look only with kisses, on the triangular scale, on the tip of her nose and on her lips. And her own question.

"Swimming time?"

An: Jenny and Vastra have a pool beneath their plant room now Thunderbirds style I don't make the rules. I have no ideas for plot at the moment so its pure fluff and messing about and googling whether lizards can get sunburnt.