And SURPRISE! Vastra and Jenny centric chapter! Because these two definitely knew the Doctor more than just a little bit well, and because I couldn't resist getting a chance to take a peek at these two pre-relationship because they are my darlings (luckily, no one ships Vastra/Jenny harder than the Doctor and Aliya do!)

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far!

This chapter was meant to contain a bunch of other stuff, but Daliya and Vastra/Jenny took it over. On the bright side, it means you get ANOTHER chapter of Vastra/Jenny and Daliya hanging out with them to look forward to! (It's so weird writing them without Strax though!)

Enjoy!

Note: There's a movie quote/reference in here and anyone who can correctly identify it will get a snippet/teaser of the next chapter. :)

"I was thinking we should go and check on Vastra. You know, the Silurian."

"I haven't forgotten, Doctor," Aliya said, nodding, "It's a good idea. We should probably check she didn't decide the girl she hired was better as a snack than as a maid. I don't think she would have though."

The Doctor nervously wrung his hands. "I've been trying to stay positive on that front."

So they headed to the wardrobe to find a suitable change in attire for Aliya (a maroon Victorian ensemble that had a much nicer hat than the last) before landing the TARDIS on Paternoster Row outside of Vastra's residence. The moment they stepped out of the box, they found themselves being hit by the thick falling snow and the bracing wind. A storm was coming.

When they knocked on the door it was Jenny Flint, the match girl turned maid, who answered. The change in occupation suited the young woman. She stood before them clean and fresh faced with a smart black and white uniform befitting of her station. She had appeared to initially have a standard formal greeting on her tongue, for the more regular calibre of visitor she had no doubt been expecting. Now she gaped only to instantly brighten.

"You two!" She exclaimed, beaming. "I wondered if you might be back some day. So did Madame Vastra, but she's out at the mo'. Should be back any time, though, so why don't you come to the sittin' room and I'll make some tea."

"No, that's fine, Jenny, we'll help with the tea," the Doctor told her as they came inside, and he smiled at her as he added, "Or rather, I will. Best to not let Aliya near that sort of thing."

"Oi!"

Jenny looked torn between amusement and shock. "You two really aren't from around 'ere, are you?"

"Was the disappearing blue box not enough of a clue?" Aliya asked with a grin.

"Well, yeah, but no normal folk would offer to 'elp the likes o'me in the kitchen," the maid said, "But if you weren't pullin' my leg, you can follow me."

The brunette led them through to a spotless kitchen of a moderate size where Aliya decided to take an available stool and stay out of the way of the two who knew what they were doing.

"So, how have things been going, Jenny? With Vastra?" The Doctor asked the maid as they set about making the tea. "Big change."

Jenny laughed a little. "The biggest, but it's like a dream come true. 'Cept stranger than I could've ever dreamt. Bein' a lizard woman's maid ain't something you can plan for."

"I suppose not," the Doctor agreed, smiling, "But you're happy?"

Her dark eyes widened. "Oh, yessir! Never a dull moment, not even in the cleanin', and Madame's good to me, in 'er own way."

"That's good to hear," Aliya said honestly, "We were worried she might, well…"

"Eat me?" Jenny's tone was wry and surprisingly light. Upon seeing the Doctor and Aliya's bemused faces, she just chuckled. "Yeah, I know what she does with them that she catches. But she ain't gonna eat me."

"Why are you so sure?"

"She promised me she wouldn't," the young woman said solemnly, and then shrugged. "Besides, it's been nearly two years, if she wanted to, she would've done it by now."

"Good, good," the Doctor said as he finished stirring the tea, "Also, none of that 'sir' business, Doctor is fine."

"And just Aliya for me, before you get any ideas about calling me ma'am," Aliya added with a grin.

Jenny flushed but nodded. "See? Definitely weird."

"Better than stuffy and boring," Aliya retorted.

That was when Vastra's voice could be heard calling for Jenny from the entrance hall.

"In the kitchen, ma'am!" Jenny called back. "With company!"

A few moments later the door to the kitchen opened and Vastra entered. She smiled when she saw the three of them.

"I saw the TARDIS, and realised we must have visitors," she remarked. "It's good to see the both of you again. While Jenny is more than adequate company, having only one person knowing of your true nature can grow tiresome." She grinned at the Doctor and Aliya, surprising them. "Oh, it is good to have some non-ape company!"

Jenny, who wasn't looking at Vastra but down at the tea, made an annoyed face that suggested just what she thought of that comment, but the young woman held her tongue. It did not however go unnoticed by Aliya, who took it upon herself to speak up where Jenny could not. The Doctor ended up beating her to it.

"You know, I bet Jenny is much more interesting than we are," he said, giving Jenny a friendly punch on the shoulder and making the girl go red.

"And a much more valuable source on this current era, if it had been up to me to help you blend in, you would have been doomed," Aliya continued cheerfully.

Vastra blinked, plainly having not considered that her words could be taken badly by her maid. "I'm sorry, Jenny," she said, patting Jenny's shoulder with an awkwardness the Time Lords didn't entirely understand, "I never meant to imply that I don't enjoy your company."

"It's fine, ma'am," Jenny told her calmly, not quite looking at her, "You can imply whatever you like, I'm only the 'elp."

"Hardly only the help," Vastra said, more matter-of-factly than kindly, "You're also my confidante, my…companion, in a sense." Jenny stared at her with an unreadable expression that made Vastra pause as well, at least until the Doctor spoke up again.

"And companions are very important," he said, grinning, "Believe me, I'm more or less an expert."

They eventually did all make their way to the sitting room, where Jenny served the non-humans before it was suggested by the Time Lords and agreed by Vastra that she should stay and take tea with them.

"So you've been helping deal with London's criminal population, then?" Aliya asked Vastra, who smirked.

"Yes, and have quite enjoyed doing so," the lizard woman replied. "I've enjoyed most things about this place, actually, and I admit I did not expect to."

"I was the same, when I unexpectedly ended up spending a lot of time on this planet," the blonde said, smiling, "Humans are good at surprises if they're good at anything."

"I find they're good for lots of things," the Doctor said as he sipped his tea. "But then apparently I'm biased." Aliya just grinned into her teacup.

"Now, is there a particular reason for your visit?" Vastra asked.

"They're checking you haven't eaten me," Jenny quipped lightly.

"Really?" Vastra's amusement was evident.

"We were just going to call it a social call," the Doctor replied, rather awkwardly.

"We didn't expect it, we just wanted to be sure," Aliya added. It seemed important to make the distinction because they really weren't the sort to think the worst of people and she didn't want Vastra to think that they were.

Vastra chuckled. "Perfectly understandable, but I can assure you I have no intentions of eating Jenny." Her gaze briefly wandered to her maid and lingered there before she snapped back to the Time Lords. "Now, were you intending for this to be a brief visit, or are you staying for a few days?"

The Doctor and Aliya exchanged surprised glances. "We don't know," they said at the same time. Then they had to stop and laugh at themselves.

"We'd be glad of the extra company," Vastra told them.

"Why not? I'll just run and bring the TARDIS inside," the Doctor said cheerfully. When Jenny's sceptical eyes moved to the window, where the snow was falling thick and fast and the wind was howling, he frowned. "Or, you know, we could stay here until the storm passes." He looked at Vastra. "You have spare rooms, don't you?"

"Of course," Vastra replied, nodding, "The one across the hallway from mine will be perfectly suitable for the two of you."

"Good." The Doctor also got out of his seat before halting, having properly registered all her words. "Wait, no, hang on…the two of us?" He repeated, confused. "But we haven't told you yet!"

Vastra blinked at him before sharing an alarmed look with Jenny. "Told us what?"

"About us!" He answered, flapping his arms in Aliya's general direction. "That since you saw us, we've…we're…"

"Together?" Vastra asked mildly, seeming surprised.

"Yes," he sighed. "So why did you put us in the same room?"

"Well…" Vastra said, her voice hesitant.

"We thought you were already a couple," Jenny blurted.

"Oh," the Doctor and Aliya said in a soft simultaneous shock. The latter quietly found that the assumption made her want to grin madly but she partially hid it behind her hand.

"No, we weren't," the Doctor told their friends, smiling awkwardly, "But…we are…now."

"Well, if you're happier for it, then I suppose a sort of congratulations are in order," said Vastra.

"Thanks," Aliya laughed.

"Yes, er, thanks."

"Now, I don't know about the two of you, but it's been a long day here, and I'd like to retire and give Jenny leave to do the same," Vastra said.

"Of course, we'll just head to our room," the Doctor replied.

Vastra smiled and nodded. "Aliya can borrow a nightgown if…" The Silurian trailed off as a mischievous glint entered her eye.

"If what?" Aliya asked, voice conveying her suspicion.

"…if you'll be needing it?" the lizard woman finished mildly.

The Doctor practically squawked with indignant shock. "Vastra!" Aliya had to bite her tongue to hold in her laughter, even though her cheeks were pink with embarrassment.

Vastra and Jenny just sniggered at their reactions.

"We'll take the nightgown," the Doctor said.

As they all climbed the stairs, Jenny asked, "So are you two married now, then?"

"No!" The Doctor remarked, so quickly and forcefully that it had to be an odd reflex of a reaction. "No, no, not even a little bit."

"How can someone be a 'little bit married'?" Jenny shot him a sceptical look. "And if you're not, then are you gonna be?"

"No," Aliya said as they reached the second floor, "It's not really…us."

"I personally hold the whole idea in quite high regard," Vastra said, making it clear in her voice that she knew it probably sounded strange, "But first comes the business of finding your match, which can take centuries. But I've gathered that humans, and perhaps Time Lords, tend to dance around such matters. My people were much more direct, but I've taken note of how your type seem to try and find out if such feelings are reciprocated without revealing one's own feelings for fear of ridicule. It's fascinating, but seems needlessly complicated."

The Doctor and Aliya shared matching sheepish looks.

"Believe me, we know how tricky that part can get," Aliya said, shaking her head as she recalled some memories of their truly strained and ridiculous moments.

"How did you get past it?" Jenny asked, abruptly enough to surprise them, making it sound as if she secretly wanted to know the answer for reasons other than pure curiosity.

"We were idiots," the Doctor said simply, shrugging, "Avoided talking about it until misunderstandings nearly drove us apart…again."

"We got stuck in a cave for the night and we made ourselves talk about it-"

"I made us talk about it, you were very intent on being cross with me-"

"Yes, yes," Aliya muttered, flushing, "But then it all came out and we realised we'd been oblivious idiots."

"Talking is the key," the Doctor added, "I'm good at talking, usually, but sometimes, when it's important, I'm really not-"

"Of course it's unlikely you'll have to deal with centuries of emotional baggage," Aliya said lightly, "So I'm sure both of you will be fine."

"Centuries?" Jenny gaped.

"Yes, they're about as old as I am," Vastra said with a nod. "Now, we promised a nightgown, didn't we?" Jenny fetched the nightgown and handed it to Aliya, who took it with another furious blush.

"Do you need anything else, ma'am?" Jenny asked her mistress, not sounding entirely as if she was asking because it was her job.

"No thank you, Jenny. That will be all."

Jenny nodded and held Vastra's gaze for a few moments longer than necessary before giving a quick curtsy and hurrying up the next flight of stairs. Vastra watched her go with a surprisingly soft expression before turning to the Time Lords.

"Goodnight Doctor, Aliya."

"Goodnight," they chorused.

She headed off down the hall and the Doctor bent his head down to near Aliya's ear. "So is it just me, or are those two-"

"Totally enamoured with each other?" Aliya finished, turning to grin at him. "I'm so glad you said something, I thought I might be losing it."

"If I noticed, chances are there's something there," he replied as they went into their room and shut the door behind them. "But frankly that's their business. I'm more interested in ours."

"They thought we were together when we first met them," Aliya reminded him, and he grinned, his arms coming to encircle her waist.

"I suppose it was obvious to everyone except us," he said, his nose brushing hers.

"What, that your stupid face has ruined me for everyone else, even hot lizard women like Vastra?" Aliya asked, her voice as serious as she could make it. "Because honestly, I would never have picked the possibility of a Silurian looking good in a Victorian gown, but Vastra's gorgeous-"

"Aliya!" The Doctor clapped his hands over her mouth firmly. She looked up at him with mirth in her eyes.

"What?" Her words came out muffled so she forcibly removed his hand. "She's hot-"

He shut her up that time by snogging her to within an inch of her life. Even though she was extremely short of breath by the time he released her, she still managed to laugh at him until he just rolled his eyes and sat in the armchair so that he could go about unlacing his boots.

"Jealous Doctor," Aliya mused as she removed her hat and hair pins, "Now that's a new one."

"You just like getting a rise out of me," he muttered, kneeling to help her out of her own shoes. When Aliya just grinned and lifted her eyebrows at him, he rolled his eyes. "You're getting as bad as Jack."

"Yes, but no one other than you would ever believe it," Aliya said happily, "Except Hart, he actually guessed from the moment he met me. Though, I'd rather he never know that he was right."

"I think he already does."

"…fair point."

The Doctor had wordlessly moved behind her to help her out of the voluminous dress and Aliya was able to relax while he unlaced her corset.

"This might sound strange, but I like having friends that weren't your friends first."

"How do you mean?"

"You know, friends that meet us together. Because I love your friends, I do, and they're the best friends I've got, but they're still your friends first and foremost and then just sort of my friend…after. But then, to people like Jenny and Vastra, and Laura, I'm not 'the Doctor's friend Aliya', I'm just Aliya. Does that make sense?"

"…you're right," he said after a moment's pause.

She turned to face him as the corset hung loosely from her body. "Really?"

"That does sound strange."

A moment's surprise faded into a sort of resignation. Aliya just chuckled softly at his odd flippancy and let her head fall onto his chest.

"You know, Aliya, they're probably going to be expecting us to be sleeping now," the Doctor said, slipping his jacket off while he spoke.

Aliya glanced at the nightgown that was draped over the bed frame. "I'm not so sure they are, actually." They both laughed, if a little embarrassedly.

"What I'm trying to say, though, is that I'm not sleepy because we only slept two days ago, I specifically remember, which means I doubt that you're tired either," he continued, and she realised what he was getting at and had to be amused at how coy he was being given that it was unnecessary.

"I am definitely not sleepy in the slightest," she said pointedly, removing his bowtie, and his eyes sparkled as they regarded her.

"Good," he said with a sudden great seriousness, "Because it's quite cold and body heat is going to be essential."

Aliya grinned as she unbuttoned his shirt and used the loose sides to pull him down for a kiss. "I knew you were going to say that. You're going to need to find something a bit more original, especially considering that our superior thermoregulation means that being cold isn't really much of an issue."

"I love it when you talk science to me," he murmured, chuckling even as he scooped her off the ground with a swiftness that had her letting out a tiny squeal.

"Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell-"Aliya found herself being kissed with a firmness that quite plainly said 'shut up you idiot'. "Potential kinetic energy is only relevant in relation to TARDISes when-"

"Shhh, I'm trying to be romantic and you're ruining it."

"Well, alright," she considered as he gently laid her on the bed and started trailing kisses down her neck, "What happens when an unstoppable force meets an unmovable object?"

"It can't happen," the Doctor replied, his voice quiet from where his mouth rested against the skin of her shoulder, "And we would know, we're the movable objects."

"Yeah?"

"Course we are. Because this? Right here?" He lifted his gaze so that he could press his forehead against hers, allowing their minds and noses to touch. "That's the unstoppable force." She gave him the mental equivalent of a wide smile, while quietly wondering how the hell it was possible to fall more in love with him than she had been already. "And we were stubborn, we really were, but we never stood a chance."

"Because physics," she said, grinning as he leaned away.

"Yes, exactly," he agreed, grinning back while pulling her stockings from her legs, "Because physics."

"I love you."

"I know."

The night that followed was a fairly even mix of playing Go Fish, keeping warm through intensive cuddling, and keeping warm through slightly more physical methods. By the time the morning light came through the window and they could hear Jenny and Vastra's voices out in the hall, the Time Lords had become rather too comfortable to want to move straight away.

"We should get up," the Doctor said, and Aliya let her sigh blow hot air over his back.

"But I like being the big spoon," she complained, shutting her eyes again and resting her head on the line of his spine.

"And I like being the little one, but I've been still for quite long enough and we've got a new day to get on with," he replied, "And I can't get up until you let go of me."

"You might be here a while then."

His answer to that came in the form of his hands reaching behind him to tickle any part of her he could reach. Her squeal was so loud that they heard Jenny and Vastra's conversation downstairs pause. Aliya was forced to retract her hands from around the Doctor's waist so that she could fend for herself and keep his away from her exposed body. The moment he was free of her, however, he leapt from the bed and ended the torture.

"Spoilsport," she muttered.

"Squealer."

"Shut up."

They dressed and went downstairs, calling out to their hostess and her maid only to receive a response from behind a door that was very difficult to spot if one wasn't looking for it. When they pushed it open, the fact that this was likely deliberate became apparent - the room they entered was rather bare and had mats for flooring, and Vastra and Jenny were engaged in a fencing match. Both dressed in breeches and boots, Vastra wore a grey tunic similar to her Silurian clothing while Jenny had an old blouse tucked into her waistband.

A closer inspection of their movements suggested it was more of a training session than a match, because Vastra was clearly more experienced and was giving Jenny a constant stream of information as they moved together.

"Is it common practice for Victorian ladies to train their staff in combat?" The Doctor asked, smiling cheekily as he watched them duel.

"The era has ridiculous concepts about what it is and is not 'proper' for females to do," Vastra said, saying the world 'proper' with an appropriately large amount of disdain, "Given that my enterprises are not always peaceful, it seems only fitting that my companion be capable of defending herself and perhaps even helping me."

"And this doesn't bother you, Jenny?"

Jenny grinned at the Doctor. "I used to dress as a boy all the time. Safer that way, often enough. Got into some fights, always sorta liked it. Not complainin' about the chance to get 'alf decent at it."

"Do you only use swords?" Aliya asked curiously.

"Jenny, a demonstration of our hand to hand, perhaps?" Vastra said to Jenny, who nodded.

They threw their swords to the side and began to circle each other before Vastra abruptly charged. Jenny dodged but Vastra had apparently anticipated the move because she mirrored it with ease and used her leg to sweep Jenny's out from underneath her, sending her to the floor. The Silurian grinned with satisfaction but when she bent down to deal some finalising blow, Jenny gripped her arms and yanked her to the floor as well, resulting in the two women rolling several times in a power struggle that ended with Vastra sitting atop of Jenny with the girl's arms pinned firmly either side of her head.

"Well done, you almost had it," the older of the two commented.

"Thank you, Ma'am."

The Doctor applauded, and Aliya joined him, but their friends did not seem to take much notice. They hadn't moved an inch and were just staring at each other with an intensity that had Aliya suddenly feeling as if she should be looking away or leaving the room to give them privacy. A quick outreach to the Doctor's mind told her that he was thinking something similar.

"I'm sure you'll get her on her back eventually, Jenny," Aliya said when it got too much, only to realise how much of an innuendo it was considering how sure she was that the two of them had romantic feelings for each other. She cursed her own lack of verbal control and hoped to hell no one else had taken her words that way she had ended up hearing them.

The Doctor coughed. "You're a natural, Jenny, definitely."

The Victorian women finally snapped out of it and jumped up without touching each other more than absolutely necessary. They abruptly turned away from each other, with colour in their cheeks that Aliya recognised because she'd felt it burn her own cheeks enough times back when her feelings for the Doctor had been truly making themselves known.

We were definitely right, she thought triumphantly, they're completely smitten!

"So, breakfast, then?" Vastra asked her guests, brightly.

"That would be great," Aliya said, and the Doctor nodded.

"I'll get right on it," Jenny told them, and hurried from the room before Vastra could quite get out her thank you. The moment she was gone, the Doctor and Aliya turned to the Silurian and lifted their eyebrows at her, making her bristle.

"What?" She asked indignantly.

"Nothing, it's just…she's very pretty," the Doctor said, shrugging.

Vastra blinked. "So what?"

"So you agree, that she's pretty?" Aliya inquired, keeping her voice as innocent as possible.

"Why on Earth does it matter?"

Aliya gave her a sly grin. "Well, coming from the woman who last time I saw her struggled to tell her from the next human, I would just say that it was significant that you would think so."

Alarmed, Vastra's expression shifted to one of scepticism. "I'm not entirely sure what you're implying, but I can assure you that you're wrong."

"Consider me very unassured," the blonde answered calmly, "But I'm familiar enough with the denial stage of these sorts of things, so do go ahead with that if you want to, it's all just part of the process."

The lizard woman scowled at her. "She's my servant. And more importantly, she's an ape!"

"So?" The Doctor said seriously. "I've loved humans before. There's no shame in it."

The mention of the word 'love' had Vastra's expression become a very neutral mask. "I need to change," she said flatly, and let the room without another word.

"That could have gone better," Aliya said, sighing.

"It wasn't likely to, though," the Doctor pointed out, "Regarding a human as any sort of potential partner is fairly ground-breaking for our sort. She just needs time."

"I suppose you would know," she murmured, "It's never something I've needed to seriously consider. But thinking about it now…it would be strange. I'm just not sure I could hold a human in the same sort of regard as myself enough to consider anything like that."

"Exactly. Superiority complexes aren't easy to break through when they're drilled into you from birth."

"It's not like it's something I'll ever have to worry about, there's no chance of me-" An unexpected truth hit her without warning and she felt her eyes water while she bit her lip.

"Aliya? What's wrong?"

"I just – I just realised that there's one human I could have seen like that, or maybe already did," she whispered, not looking at him but empty space in front of her.

"Really?" The Doctor didn't bother to cover his surprise. "Who?"

"She's dead," Aliya breathed, wiping at her eyes as they filled with tears, "It's not important."

His eyes widened and before she knew it he was cradling her face in his hands and kissing her firmly, pulling away only to stroke her face with his thumb. "River Song's always important."

Hearing River's name just made her sob as she nodded several times. "I'm sorry," she eventually said after he pulled her into a hug and held her there.

"For what?"

"…I don't know."

He just pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Come on, I think I can smell toast."

Breakfast was a reasonably mild affair given that Vastra was slightly wary of the Time Lords after their discussion, but by the time lunch had come and gone, everything was back to normal and Aliya took her chance to talk to Jenny alone by helping the maid clear away the dishes and offering to help her clean them.

"No, Miss, I'm fine-"

"Aliya, not Miss. And I want to help, so please just let me."

"Alright. Aliya."

They cleaned for a minute or two in silence before Aliya had worked out how she was going to phrase her approach to the topic she wanted to bring up. It was, as the situation with Vastra had proved, somewhat a delicate matter.

"So I don't mean to pry, Jenny, but there are certain things that I'm good at noticing," she said slowly, and Jenny's hands slowed in their work for a moment before continuing as normal.

"Oh? Like what?"

Aliya took a deep breath and hoped for the best. "Like what it looks like when someone is in love with the most important person in their life but is too petrified to admit it to even themselves." Jenny's hands slipped on the plate she was holding and it fell back into the sink with a horrible crash that had them both cringing.

"I don't know what you mean," the girl stammered, her dark eyes wide and blatantly terrified when Aliya looked up at her. A powerful empathy tugged at Aliya's hearts and she took Jenny's hand in hers.

"Jenny, it's alright," she said quickly, keeping her voice as soft and her face as open as possible, "I've been where you are. I know how scary it is, how you feel like you can't breathe because it's supposed to be your secret."

Jenny swallowed. "But you and the Doctor-"

"When I realised I was in love with him, Jenny, he was married. And then he wasn't because we lost her and even after we worked through that hurt I still didn't feel I had any right to feel the way I did about him," Aliya continued, making sure to keep eye contact with the maid who was now hanging off every word she was saying, "But I thought that if I kept it to myself, if I expected nothing from him and if my love for him just made me a better companion for him, that it would be okay." She gave Jenny a small smile. "Jenny, I've seen the way you look at Vastra-"

The girl properly panicked and tried to bolt for it, but Aliya kept her grip on her wrist firm. If social etiquette hadn't been so firmly engrained in the maid's brain, it likely would have occurred to her that she certainly had the ability to do something like flip Aliya onto her back in order to make her let go. As it was, she just tugged and gave the blonde a pleading look.

"Jenny, it's okay," Aliya whispered, trying to show all the support and understanding in her eyes that was possible, "You're allowed to love her." That made Jenny go completely still, her expression guarded but intent. "I think it's wonderful that you do."

"But she's a woman," Jenny said, her voice barely audible, "And she's not human, and far too grand for the likes o'me."

"That last one certainly isn't true. She eats people – that's the opposite of grand."

Much to her delight, Jenny actually chuckled a little at that, only to sober a moment later. "Aliya," she said hesitantly, and Aliya smiled at her, glad that she was addressing her by her given name, "When we all met, I told ya I left home 'cause I got too big and we were too poor. Fact is…it was because my family caught me…kissing the baker's girl in the alley."

Aliya bit her lip and loosened her grip on the other woman. "They kicked you out?"

Jenny sniffed and nodded. "Not til they – til they beat into me that what I was doin' was wrong. That if I kept doin' it, I'd burn in 'ell and be better off dead. That I'm…broken."

The Time Lady, horrified and overwhelmed, immediately pulled her new friend into a crushing hug that was the best way to convey just how much she cared. "Oh, Jenny, you're not broken," Aliya promised her, rubbing her back, "People here are just idiots, scared of anything remotely different to them. Give it a few hundred years and anyone can marry who they like, women or men or otherwise."

"Really, Aliya?"

"Yes, and believe me, if I weren't with the Doctor," the blonde said, pulling away so that she could look in the brunette's eyes and smile at her encouragingly, "I'd likely be chasing after Vastra myself."

Jenny frowned at her. "Really?"

Aliya smirked. "Well, she's beautiful, intelligent, funny – but then I don't need to be telling you any of this because you know it better than I do. But do you know what else she is?" When Jenny shook her head, Aliya just gently lifted her chin so that their eyes were locked. "Just as enamoured and confused as you are."

For one shining moment she thought Jenny believed her, but then the light in the human's eyes faded and the girl was turning away and shaking her head desperately. "She's my superior, she's not human, and she's almost definitely not different like I am."

"Look, I can't do the hard work for you, and she's certainly got just as far to come as you do, but that last part I think I can help you with."

When Jenny asked her exactly what she meant by that, Aliya just smiled and told her that she would find out.

That night, when everyone had retired to their rooms yet again and the Doctor had finished telling Aliya about how Vastra had almost beaten him at chess, Aliya chose to relay her conversation with Jenny.

"Doctor, she thinks she's broken," she whispered, knowing he didn't have to be able to see her face in the dark to hear and feel her distress, "I knew about this time in human history but it's not the same as seeing a girl in tears and saying that about herself because she's in love with a woman."

"Humans hurt each other more than they ever hurt anyone else," the Doctor replied solemnly from where he lay beside her.

"She doesn't think Vastra could care about her, and while it's really something they need to work out themselves, I think I can at least prove to her that Vastra likes women," Aliya said, "Because I mentioned to her how I might have been very interested in Vastra if it weren't for you."

"Of course you did," he muttered, but underneath the mild jealousy she could hear his amusement. "I can see where this is going."

She laughed at how disgruntled he sounded and leaned over to appease him by planting a quick kiss on his lips. "I can just feel they're going to work out, Jenny and Vastra, can't you?"

His silhouette nodded in the dark. "The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced they're a perfect match for each other. Which is never something I would have picked, the Silurian and the match girl."

"They don't even need our help," Aliya agreed, "But after seeing Jenny like that in the kitchen, I can't resist giving her a little boost that might save her a bit of extra misery."

"Quite right too." His hand traced the outline of her face, pushing her hair aside. "I know I would have quite liked a few of those if it meant having all of this a bit sooner."

She grinned and kissed him again, longer this time. "Exactly."

He rested his hands on her waist and pulled her so that she was sitting astride his hips. Once she was there, his hands slid up her legs and bunched her nightgown up until it was the bare skin of her hips under his fingers.

With a large grin she couldn't be sure he could see in the darkness of the room, she brought her own hands down to interlock with his and didn't stop grinning when he lent up so that he could kiss her properly. That lazy and easy feeling of being so completely content crept up on her as she kissed him back, and all she could think was, everything bad that ever happened to me got me here, and I'd go through it all again ten more times if it meant being able to ensure that things will stay like this.

Much later, she would look back and consider that even then she had suspected that such easy happiness could not last, and hate how she had been right.

Come morning, Aliya was trying to get out of the door but was having to wrestle with a taller, stronger Time Lord who was determined to tickle her to death. Finally, with a loud squeal, she got free and dashed out into the hallway.

She didn't get far. Before she knew it he had pinned her against the wooden paneling and was grinning while she squirmed against him and laughed out loud because the tickling was light enough to actually be enjoyable this time around.

"You know, I did hope that my giving you a bedroom might drop the hint that I don't wish for my hallway to be defiled," Vastra remarked from down the hall, and when they looked away from each other they saw that she and Jenny were approaching them with mixed looks of curiosity and disapproval. "Though at least you're using the nightgown."

Aliya grinned to herself and seized her chance. She darted away from the Doctor and hurried to Vastra's side. "Please, Vastra, save me," she begged, letting her voice drop a little lower as she positioned herself behind the Silurian and held onto her at the waist.

Although initially surprised, Vastra glanced back at her and smirked once she saw the glint in Aliya's eyes. With a flirtatious manner that was certainly new to all of them, the lizard woman briefly skimmed her eyes over the Time Lady's form, which was well accented by the thin garment she was wearing.

"Of course," she said, "Anything for you, Aliya."

"Thank you," Aliya replied, grinning, "Do you think the nightgown suits me? I've had my doubts, because the Doctor goes from very much liking it to insisting on taking it off me. It confuses a girl."

"I can understand his indecision," Vastra replied, smirking again.

"Oi!" The Doctor protested, waggling his finger at them. "Stop that!"

"Stop what?" Vastra asked innocently while Aliya snorted into her shoulder.

"Stop….flirting."

Vastra regarded Aliya, who was just smirking, and frowned at the Doctor. "Now why on Earth would I do that? You don't own her, if your companion wishes to press herself against me I consider it to be little business of yours."

While the Doctor opened and shut his mouth several times in an attempt to muster up a reply, Jenny's had meanwhile dropped and was not showing any signs of moving. Aliya erupted into giggles due to being so pleased with herself, but when Vastra wasn't looking, she took the chance to shoot the maid a look that said 'I told you so!'. Jenny nodded slowly, looking as though her entire world had potentially just shifted.

"I think I've made him adequately jealous now, don't you?" Aliya murmured to Vastra before leaving the lightest of kisses on the other woman's scaled cheek. "Thank you for your help, we'll have to do it again some time."

"I look forward to it," Vastra retorted as Aliya returned to the Doctor's side only to get him rolling his eyes at them exasperatedly. "Now, are we all in the mood for breakfast? The worst of the storm has passed, we will likely be able to go out somewhere today."

"That all sounds great, but I should probably get dressed first," the Time Lady said, only for Vastra to lift a non-existent eyebrow at her.

"If you feel you must."

They all laughed at that, even Jenny and the Doctor.

I really didn't go into this chapter intending to sort of make Draliya a teeny bit canon, it just sort of ended up happening due to the dialogue, but I have no regrets. :D

Remember, if you spotted the movie quote/reference, mention it in your review to get a teaser from the next chapter! This is going to be a regular thing I do whenever I end up doing allusions to other works, just because it's a bit of fun and why not?

*prayer circle for the Paternoster Gang to be in Series 9*

Feedback is always appreciated, thanks! Love you guys!

-MayFairy :)

p.s. remember to check out my Twissy kid!fic The Definition of Trouble if you reckon you'd be interested in a fic where Twelve and Missy accidentally end up having a kid who turns out a lot more like Missy than Twelve. XD