Hey everyone, two chapters in one day! I bet you're all very happy about that, aren't you? I know it's a bit too early for this, but I was still on a high from the Christmas story which inspired me to write one for Valentine's Day. There's really is nothing better than a healthy dose of holiday lesbian fluff to keep you warm during these freezing winter months! So go on ahead and enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: Nope, I do not own Doctor Who or any of it's characters...but maybe if I close my eyes and wish hard enough then it will come true.
Prompt: Vastra and Jenny celebrate Valentines Day(after having a huge fight) *Not Given*
(A/N: I apologize in advance for what I am about to do. Nobody is dying...unless you count Jenny and Vastra's relationship, oops. So yeah, you have been warned...)
In the household of the Great Detective of 13 Paternoster Row and her suspiciously intimate assistant, Jenny Flint, Sunday evenings were a time reserved specifically for rest and relaxation.
Peace and serenity were hard to come by in their line of work, with all the crime rates running amok in London in addition to the infuriating lack of ability within Scotland Yard. Yet, they were both able to treasure the little downtime allotted them during which they were free from any responsibilities whatsoever. It was on one of these low-key evenings that Madame Vastra and Jenny decided to unwind themselves by doing some recreational reading in the sitting room. Silurian and human sat beside each other in separate chairs with a tea service shared between them; Vastra was reading a scientific book about Darwinism and evolution, while Jenny pored over a newly purchased copy of the classic Jane Eyre. The fireplaces' raging flames provided the room with a comfortable warmth and an intimate silence settled upon the two women as they read together.
The more she read about this concept of Darwinism, the more amused Vastra became, until she could no longer prevent a hearty laugh from escaping her throat.
Jenny was drawn out of her novel by the sound and turned to Vastra asking, "Oi, what's so funny that you have to disrupt my reading?"
"Oh, I'm truly sorry about that, my dear,"apologized Vastra, though not even bothering to hide the lofty grin upon her lips."I didn't mean to disturb you with my impromptu bout of laughter. It's just that the author of this book is glaringly misinformed on the subject of natural evolution, and exaggerates the importance of the developments in ape history."
"Oi! Watch your language!" Admonished Jenny with resentment in reference to Vastra's use of the word "ape".
The Silurian remained indifferent as she cocked her head to the side."Jenny...There's really no need for your fur to get all ruffled up, as we've been over this many times before. Your kind evolved from apes and that's just how the way things were when I was growing up." She paused to take a sip of tea before adding in her same nonchalant tone,"I thought that by now you would have learned to not be so sensitive, darling."
"Oh really?" Jenny's eyebrows shot upward and her hands went to her hips, before she retorted with, "Well, then….maybe it's you who needs to learn how not to be insensitive!"
Gone was the lightly calm atmosphere that occupied the room, only to be replaced by one of heavier hostility.
Of course, this was far from being the first time that Vastra and Jenny had disagreed on this particular matter. Jenny knew that Vastra loves her dearly, but the Silurian made it nearly impossible to remember that sometimes when she's constantly speaking harshly about humans as if Jenny wasn't one herself! It made her doubt the status of their relationship and question who she was to Vastra.
Does she truly consider her as an equal, or a frivolous little plaything?
Vastra's haughty and scornful attitude that she often acquired whenever they interacted with the public was also most insufferable. Vastra told Jenny the story of how her sisters died in that explosion, and while she understand her pain due to the loss, it still did not give Vastra the right to be angry toward the entire human race for the actions of a few bad individuals. Over the course of their unlikely relationship, Jenny had taken up the challenge of showing to Vastra the positive aspects of human society with hopes of softening her view. It quickly proved to be a hopeless endeavor on her part, as there was no way of convincing that stubborn as hell Silurian who refused to listen to reason.
"And what in hell do you mean by the author "exaggerating the importance" of our history, hmm?"
"I am merely stating the truth here," replied Vastra, which did little to help ease Jenny's burning nerves."In all honesty, the so-called achievements and innovations that you apes tend to boast about are far from impressive."
"Far from impressive?!" Jenny chuckled darkly in disbelief before exclaiming,"By God, have you been blind this entire time while living in London? In that case, I suggest you take a good long look around you, ma'am! This house we're currently sitting in, hell, this entire city, was built by the hands of apes! How dare you criticize us when we've been responsible for amazing things such as medicine, the telephone, writing paper, the Great Pyramids and….and….well I can't think of any more right now, but you are wrong about us humans, ma'am!"
"You make a compelling a case, Jenny, but you're forgetting that my kind inhabited this world long before yours had even fully developed,"pointed out Vastra readily with astute logic."Everything that you apes created up until now, has already been done centuries ago in my Silurian civilization. We were also able to accomplish much greater things at a faster rate than the one your kind are currently going. Laser technology, advanced metals, cures for the commonplace illnesses that plagues your ape society...among other things, are only a few examples of what my kind are capable of while your kind is failing miserably. As for London, I can safely say that it pales in comparison to the magnificent cities built during my people's time. So I highly suggest that we stop kidding ourselves and just accept the fact that these apes will never reach the same level of progress as my kind did."
That was the last straw. Something finally snapped within Jenny in that moment, and she decided that enough was enough! Vastra needs to be told that she will longer tolerate her offensive insults whatever the consequences may be!
"You know what, Vastra?" Jenny's book fell to the floor with a thud as she abruptly stood from her chair. There was a fire in her brown eyes when she cast her scathing glare toward Vastra. "I am bloody sick of all your unfair, egotistical, narrow-minded prejudice against humans! You're just bitter that we humans rule this planet now, while you lizards decided to hide away in the ground like a bunch of cowards! Would it kill you to pull your head out of your arse and try showing just a little more respect for us humans? According to you, us "apes" are too lowly and stupid, not worthy of any respect from your high and mighty civilization of disgusting lizards! Well, this ape is never speaking to you again, since you've made it rather clear that you do not see me as an equal! I hope you're happy about what you've done, Madame Vastra!"
Then without waiting for an answer, Jenny dramatically stormed out of the room, leaving Vastra utterly stunned by her outburst.
(I am so sorry, but just know that it was even more painful on my part because I had to write it. Don't worry though, because I am determined to get these two back together if it's the last thing I do.)
It didn't take very long after that for Vastra to realize she had made a terrible mistake.
Well, no, that would be an understatement, because it was actually the absolute worst mistake of her entire life!
Shortly after that unfortunate incident, Jenny moved out of their shared bedroom and into one of the spare guest rooms at the farthest end of the hallway, leaving Vastra with a cold empty bed. Jenny kept true to her word, as she grew more distant during the passing days and avoided Vastra like the plague. She still performed her job as the dutiful maid of the household, and even accompanied Vastra to meetings at Scotland Yard, making their carriage rides unbearably awkward. They did have to discontinue their daily training sessions, however; there was no doubt in Vastra's mind that Jenny would have killed her if given the chance. Evenings were the worse, because that was when Jenny would bring her dinner upstairs and lock herself away for the rest of the night.
Vastra, of course, tried countless times to apologize to Jenny, who kept shutting her down every single time.
Being alienated from her beloved Jenny took a heavy toll on Vastra's soul, and left her feeling miserably hollow. She was practically incomplete without Jenny; it was as if Jenny had completely cut herself out of her life, and in doing so, took away a large piece of her heart with her. She missed everything about Jenny from her sweet smile, to her distinctive Cockney accent, to how soft her skin felt when laid against her scales...she missed her so much that it physically hurt. Oh, how Vastra would have given anything in order to hold Jenny in her arms again and kiss away all her troubles. As the days dragged by, the Silurian grew increasingly desperate for a way to help her win back the woman she love.
While reading over the newspaper one morning, Vastra found what she believed to be the answer to her prayers in the form of a Valentine's Day advertisement for a flower shop.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do, thought Vastra as a plan began formulating itself in her mind, Goddess, I really hope this will work…
Nearly a week had passed by since their argument, and Jenny was still fuming with rage. One could see it clearly in her actions when doing the chores, such as the increased force she applied on the dough as she kneaded it, the way she mercilessly beat the rugs to rid them of dirt, or how she would swept with the floors with briskly aggravated movements. She found these procedures to be quite therapeutic in their purposes. Jenny's favorite method of anger management was one that involved violence; therefore, she would spend most of her time down in the cellar in order to unleash her furious wrath upon the helpless training dummies, while imagining that they were Vastra. The Silurian had gone too far in her anti-human bigotry this time, so any chances she had of forgiveness instantly flew out the window. It would seem that their carefully crafted relationship based on mutual trust and respect was now broken beyond all repair at this point.
Considering all the things Vastra had said, however, Jenny doubted if there was ever any real respect between them in the first place.
Jenny had also created a whole new world for herself in the spare guest room, her preferred residence into where she would retreat and shut out the rest of the world, including Vastra. While reading in her room one evening, Jenny discovered that her tea pot had ran out of tea. Oh, how she dreaded the possibility of having to see Vastra, but resigned to having to leave the room as she had no other choice.
Within minutes, the door of the guest room swung open allowing for Jenny to tentatively stick her head out. She then proceeded to scan across the hallway for any sign of the lizard woman. Once she was satisfied that Vastra was nowhere to be seen, Jenny took one step out of the room and was surprised when she felt something under her feet. Strangely enough, she looked down to be met with the sight of rose petals, a whole mass of them, scattered upon the floor. Upon a closer inspection, Jenny soon realized that there was actually a trail of rose petals which went all the way down the hallway and past the stairs.
Jenny quickly found herself to be rather intrigued by the mysterious display. Even if it was painfully obvious to her as to who was responsible for making this mess with the rose petals.
Her suspicions were to be confirmed when she spotted a note stuck to the door. She immediately plucked off the note and began reading its contents, which were written in that distinctive, elegant, flowing handwriting that she recognized all too well.
Follow the trail of rose petals to discover a grand surprise.
- Vastra
It didn't require much more than that for Jenny to realize that this was Vastra's attempt at reconciliation between them. For a brief moment, as she held the note in front of her, Jenny reconsidered if it was possible that she had overreacted by leaving abruptly without giving Vastra a chance to defend herself. She immediately dismissed that theory, reminding herself that there was nothing Vastra could say that would justify her behavior. However, if there was going to be a grand surprise in store, Jenny decided that it was worth a shot anyway.
So tucking the note away in her apron pocket, Jenny then embarked upon her journey as she followed the lengthy trail of rose petals through the hallway and down the stairs. The trail ended up leading her to the sitting room where she was met with a most peculiar sight.
Right before her eyes was Vastra, the person who she vowed to estrange for the rest of her life, who stood at the center of the room holding an impressively sized bouquet of red roses. Located beside the Silurian on her right was an easel, the canvas covered over with a white shroud, while on her left there was arranged a meal for two upon a clothed table. It would appeared as if Vastra had been waiting for quite some time, from the way she instantly fixed her posture the very moment Jenny came in. The hopeful expression that she wore on her weary green face was pitiful if anything else.
Their eyes became locked in an intense staring contest as neither of them could figure out what to say.
Eventually, it was Jenny who ended up speaking first and broke through the awkward silence.
"Alright, I'm just going to come right out and say it,"said Jenny, eager to get this over with as fast as possible, having no faith in whatever the Silurian had planned."What the devil are you up to this time, Vastra?"
Vastra felt her heart skip a beat upon finally hearing Jenny's voice for the first time after what seemed to be an eternity. It was just as sweet and melodious as Vastra had remembered, despite the iciness in Jenny's tone when she spoke her name. Of course, Vastra hadn't been expecting anything less than that.
"Jenny, you have no idea how much it means to me that you came,"started Vastra in earnest while stepping slightly forward. "I don't know if you noticed, Jenny, but today is what you humans call 'Valentines Day'. Since it is a day reserved for lovers, I want to use this opportunity to apologize so that we may celebrate together." Then her lips quirked into such a longing, desperate smile that would have broken anyone's heart, including Jenny's if only she wasn't so stubborn to admit it.
Jenny placed her hands firmly on her hips, being not the least bit convinced about the Silurian's motives. "Wait just a minute here, you actually want to celebrate Valentine's Day? Whatever happened to when you said,'Holidays are but a waste of time and frivolous distractions invented by overly sentimental apes'?"
Vastra's smile instantly vanished from her face and her head dropped in shame, suddenly unable to met Jenny's steely gaze. Jenny was secretly grateful for it, because Vastra couldn't see the look of regret that flitted across her face for a second. Seeing the Silurian, who was usually very dignified and self-confident in her demeanor, with her guard down and reduced to this vulnerable state was a strange spectacle indeed. Jenny nervously chewed on her lip; had she really done this to Vastra?
"Yes, I am aware of the of the things I've said in the past…,"came Vastra's reply, her voice low and hoarse with guilt,"But now I regret ever saying them and would readily take it all back if I could."
"Is that so?"
The Silurian raised her head and solemnly nodded in response. "Yes, I am being most serious in this matter! My behavior in regard to humans was absolutely unacceptable no matter which way you look at it! I'm mature enough to admit that I was being an insensitive, foolish, arrogant old lizard and that you have earned every right to be angry with me." Once again, Vastra's countenance softened as she took another step toward Jenny and continued with,"Ever since you yelled at me, it has come to my attention that I've made a critical error in judgement when it comes to humans….and especially you, Jenny, most of all."
Damn that charismatic, sweet-talking lizard! How dare she makes it exceedingly difficult for Jenny to hate her when that is what she's striving to do! Jenny could already feel her stone-hard resolve chipping away bit by bit with each of Vastra's words. However, there was still the question of whether or not Vastra was being genuine in what she's saying.
"Now, I understand that you are displeased to be here," said Vastra after a moment of silence,"but all that I'm asking of you, Jenny, is to listen to my apology this one time. If for some reason you still can't bring yourself to forgive me afterward, then I shall not try any further and will leave you alone from now on. Do you accept this proposal?"
After deciding that Vastra deserved at least this one chance, Jenny nodded her agreement to the compromise. The relief on Vastra's face was rather apparent as she released the breath she's been holding in anticipation. Then smiling a little happier, the Silurian quickly closed the remaining distance between them and offered the roses to Jenny.
Upon seeing Jenny hesitate, Vastra encouraged her by saying, "Jenny, I believe that it is the custom of Valentine's Day for lovers to treat each other with gifts of flowers. Since I am attempting to imitate this human holiday, which I've never done before, it would please me tremendously if you would just accept my flowers already."
Jenny graciously accepted the roses and took the large bouquet into her had to admit, the roses were very beautiful; inhaling a whiff of their scent indicated that they smelt just as sweet as well. Not wanting to seem too lenient, however, Jenny immediately shot Vastra a glare that said This does not mean that I'm forgiving you just because you gave me flowers. Vastra mentally took note of that and proceeded to guide Jenny toward the easel that held the covered canvas.
"As I can recall from our earlier argument,"spoke Vastra with calm sincerity,"you have expressed some doubts pertaining to the status of our relationship. Well, Jenny, my response to that is I believe it's about time that I show you how much I value your love and loyalty." Vastra then began to stroke her fingers lightly against the shroud of the canvas. "Ever since I first laid eyes on you, Jenny, I found myself drawn to you by a powerful force that I can't explain. While it's true that at the time I held all humans to extremely low standards, you surprised me by proving yourself to be the most beautiful, brilliant, and honorable person out of the rest of these ap-humans. I have grown to admire you as a trustworthy companion, as well as a courageous warrior. I do not perceive you as being weak as you have accused me of, in spite of your flaws. That doesn't mean I respect you any less, because it's actually your flaws that make me love you even more."
Vastra paused to inhale sharply before resuming her speech, eyes sparkling with determination. "My main point, Jenny, is that I love you with every fiber of my being and that I consider you to be the most extraordinary individual I've ever had the privilege of meeting. Nobody can ever begin to compare to you, whether they are human or even Silurian. Therefore, I am proud to present this tribute to you as the one and true sovereign of my heart!"
Jenny would be lying if she denied that her heart started racing faster when Vastra called her 'the sovereign of myr heart'.
She could only watch on anxiously as Vastra pulled off the shroud with a dramatic flourish, in order to reveal the surprise that laid underneath. Jenny felt her eyes grow wide as saucers and her breathe being stolen from her body at the sight left in front of her. The 'grand surprise' turned out to be a painted portrait of Jenny, dressed in the magnificent livery of royalty. Her entire body was bedecked with jewels of all kinds and sizes, with the most prominent piece being the gilded crown that rested sublimely upon her head, her long chocolate-colored hair falling down her back. Instead of the traditional staff and globe, however, Jenny instead held a more distinctive Japanese katana. The entire painting was a true masterpiece in every sense of the word, from its proficient brushstrokes right down to the meticulous details of Jenny's facial features.
So completely awestruck was Jenny, that a full five minutes passed before she was able to find her tongue again, "Good Lord, Vastra….I-I didn't know you that could paint!"
"Well, neither did I until I made this,"admitted Vastra who was uncharacteristically self-conscious at the moment."Though, I can honestly say that this representation pales in comparison to when I have the physical beauty right here in front of me."
That felt like a slap in the face for Jenny as the stinging knife of guilt violently plunged itself into her heart over and over again. Never had she ever wanted to be swallowed up by the floor more in her life than during this moment. It had struck her that she should have never acted so irrational toward Vastra by alienating her instead of working together to find a solution to their problems. The fact that Vastra went through all that trouble and effort to set this up, was evidence that she had truly changed for the better, and made Jenny realize that a part of her was still madly in love with Vastra. Slowly, she then risked looking into Vastra's eyes which shone forth with such profound tenderness and devotion, that Jenny wondered how she could ever bear to stay vexed with the Silurian for long. Seriously, those blue orbs could have been registered as legally lethal weapons for the sheer amount of intensity they possessed!
Without any warning whatsoever, Jenny then launched herself wholeheartedly into the Silurian's unprepared arms, causing Vastra to stagger backward a little.
"Jenny? Does this mean I am forgiven?" Asked Vastra in a mixed tone of hope and disbelief.
"Yes, Vastra, I do forgive you!"Exclaimed Jenny in response, while clinging onto Vastra like a magnet, her arms wrapped around her neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you...thank you so much for this wonderful gift, for acknowledging me as an equal! This is by far the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me….thank you!"
Vastra was hugely relieved by that and tightened her hold around Jenny's waist. Her eyes fluttered close, as she buried her face among Jenny's soft hair to inhale its comforting, flowery scent that she missed all those miserable days.
"No, my dear Jenny, it is really I who should be thanking you,"corrected Vastra shortly, "For while I didn't know it then, it was you who managed to uplift me from the pit of self-destructive hate. With you here to guide me, I am ready to move on from my past prejudices and form a better relationship with other humans. Besides, I was able to fall in love with you beyond all the expectations of nature, didn't I? So I should be capable of getting along with other humans….especially if they are all pretty-looking females."
An amused smile became plastered on the Silurian's face; she simply couldn't resist making that sly remark amidst all the joy she felt.
Vastra's amusement increased when Jenny reacted by swatting her on the head while scolding, "Oi! When I said you should be friendlier to humans, I didn't mean that kind of friendly!"
Vastra just hissed happily anyway, being more than content at finally having her darling human back again. This was truly the best Valentine's Day they ever had, and it won't be the last either.
"You're perfect just the way you are, Jenny Flint."
Phew! I'm glad that storm is over with! This chapter turned out way longer than I expected, but yay Jenny and Vastra are back together! Though the sad news is that I'm afraid this is the last story I'll be writing until further notice. I love writing these stories, but I it has come to my attention that I should be focusing on school more, and Jenny and Vastra are not helping by being a terrible influence on me. *Glares daggers at Jenny and Vastra*
Yup, it has finally come to the point where I'm blaming fictional characters for my problems. Don't you dare judge me! So yeah, it's been amazing hanging out with all of you and I promise I'll try to return as soon as possible. From now on, my education comes first.
Please leave a review and I'll accept that as your Christmas present! Ciao! :D