"Do we need the swords ma'am?"
"Don't we always need the swords Jenny?"
Jenny rolled her eyes while handing Vastra her particular pair of Daisho, twin Japanese swords that Vastra had acquired from the Doctor as her choice of defense against adversaries. Jenny unsheathed her sword and inspected its former condition, perfectly polished and sharpened since its last usage. She sheathed it before strapping the harness across her chest and adjusting the tie. Rechecking everything, Jenny made her way to the door.
"Ready ma'am?" she looked back and saw the Silurian scuffle back into the drawing room and then coming back out with her newly made scarf. The act made her smile as her wife walked towards her with the homemade scarf wrapped comfortably around Vastra's neck.
"As a token of good luck?" Jenny asked while fixing the scarf. Vastra grabbed her hand and pulled her into a kiss. "In all seriousness Jenny, you're my good luck." Vastra smiled again before reaching towards the doorknob, but was stopped by a pull of her sleeve. She looks at Jenny, who has a worried look on her face.
"This will.. help you righ'? You won't be as much caught up in the subject as you were?" Vastra breathes out a sigh before turning towards her wife. She carefully cuffs Jenny's cheeks into her hands, "If you believe so, then I have no reason not to trust in you Jenny. It will be hard, but in the end, I will have you to thank for." And with that, she turns her head away from Jenny and looks over to the rooms in the distance, "Strax! We've been appointed a case by the Yard! Jenny and I will see to it; look after the house while we're gone."
The Sontaran nurse shuffles into the room, night gown and cap adorned, and what appeared to be small stuffed bear in the grasp of his hands. "Leave it to me ma'am. Commander Gideon and I will obliterate anyone who steps within three feet from the perimeter!" Vastra perplexedly stares at the Sontaran whereas Jenny stifles a giggle. Vastra shakes her head and manages out a reply, "Yes, well, we will be back in two hours. Try not to destroy everything while we're gone, those vases you broke last time were expensive." Vastra turns to Jenny as she walks out, "Do you still want a child when we already have Strax? I think he makes up for a dozen."
Jenny smiles as she follows Vastra out. "You do make a point ma'am, but I think it'll be quite hard for me to pick him up and nurse him around. He'd probably assume I've gone mad." And with the click of the door, they were gone, Strax still standing in the room. "A child? In this household? Appropriate matters would have to change then…" Strax walks back into his room, pondering about the idea.
In the carriage, Vastra struggles not to bring the subject into light. She glances over to Jenny, who is reading the file that Inspector James had given them. I suppose only talking about it right now is suitable. We can talk it out and then my mind won't be as full of it as it was before. Vastra smiles at the idea, but when she was about to talk, Jenny spoke.
"I've go' an idea. I can assume tha' the Spider would strike at the local jewelry store on 4th, where they're showcasin' their new diamond collection. Now, knowing tha' he doesn't leave any tracks means that he has found a way to scale the walls, hence his name. If we can find a way to grease the walls, he will fall down to the pavement an' we can catch him, if my plan goes as it should be." Jenny looks up at Vastra, who seems to be spacing out.
"Ma'am? The case?" Jenny lets out calmly. Vastra blinks into reality and sits up straighter in her seat.
"Ah yes, splendid idea Jenny. I'll get some oil and pour it out from the rooftop while you scout for the bandit. " A few minutes of silence breaks out before Vastra speaks again, "Does it hurt conceiving a child?" Jenny looks up from the file with an exasperated look on her face, lips formed in a thin line.
"Vastra, you said-"
"I know what I stated before, it's just that I've been wondering that since the subject was brought up." Just then, the carriage comes to a stop and Parker is heard saying that they have arrived. Jenny and Vastra hop out of the carriage and thank Parker. "Come for us in an hour." He nods as he rides away and Jenny chides Vastra, "No askin' abou' babies while we're here. Am I clear?" Vastra simply nods her head before departing to carry out her part of the plan.
The night sleeps on as the Great Detective and her assistant prepare to prevent the heist; Vastra has arranged the oiled wall and at the moment, they sit and wait. They share small conversations about what the other would do if the idea doesn't go according to plan. Vastra now is fidgeting under her stature, annoyed that it's taking the man so long. She doesn't dare bring up the subject, as a way to ruin their night or worse, Jenny's plan.
Suddenly they hear a thud following a groan coming from what seems like a middle aged man. Vastra nudges Jenny and points at the shadowy figure, who staggers a bit before taking something out from his coat. Jenny runs out from her hiding place and prepares to smack the thief in the head with the hilt of her sword, This was too easy, Jenny thinks.
But right when she was about to pull down her wrist, the Spider glances up at her, rolls out of the way and in the moment kicks Jenny's feet out from under her. The maid falls to the ground in a shriek and in a short second is faced with the thief looming above her, item in hand gleaming in the moonlight. Before he was able to do anything though, Vastra shoves the man out of the way and hisses as she draws out her sword.
"Jenny, are you alright?" Vastra watches the man as he starts to stand up from his fallen position. Jenny pats down her clothes and stands with Vastra, "I'm no' as weak as I was before Vastra. I'm fine."
"That was a rather silly attempt to knock him out. You've gone rusty." Vastra smirks, eyes not leaving the male.
"Keep talkin' like that an' I'll give you a proper knock out." Jenny smiles at Vastra and swore she saw a nervous expression flash on Vastra's face when she looked away. The thief by now was simply standing in his place, a grin fixed upon his face. Jenny could now see what the Spider fully looked like. He acquired a bowler hat which was set on top of messy brown hair. His face was screwed up with scratches and bruises and his eyes were as dark as the night yet shown with a vibrant danger in them. He donned on a formal but dirty vest which was mostly covered by his long, tattered brown coat. Jenny spotted a dagger held in his left hand.
"Vastra? The Great Detective Vastra? Oh, the boys at home would love to hear this."
"Pity, by the time we're done your 'boys' would hear no such information from you," Vastra says confidently. The Spider's eye twitches before launching himself at Vastra. She blocks his dagger with her sword before coming in with an upper-cut thrust. Jenny, seeing as how Vastra is already claiming him as her opponent, merely sits down on a wooden box and observes the fight.
"Should I time you again ma'am? Last time, you were a bit slower than usual, perhaps tonight you can redeem yourself." Jenny crosses her legs and bobs them, entirely entertained by the scene in front of her. After bits of grunting and hissing, Vastra finally replies back, "No need to Jenny. I don't even think I will count this one." The Spider takes Vastra's comment to offense and sees an opening. He swipes his dagger across Vastra's right arm and succeeds in hitting his target, or what he thought so to be. What he got in response was a low growl and a more enraged lizard. He looks at where he hit and widens his eyes. There was a rip on what appears to be a scarf that had draped around Vastra's right arm in the middle of their brawl. He looks back at the reptile woman, who is seething with rage, and glances at Jenny, who is shaking her head disgracefully.
"You daft idiot. Out of all the places you could have grazed you chose my scarf. That will be your final move." Vastra dashes at the man at impossible speeds and he struggles to block off her stronger-than-ever-attacks. As she lashes at the unfortunate man, Vastra speaks out to Jenny, "Do you still think this would be an appropriate environment for a child?" A swipe to the right, a clumsy stumble in an effort to dodge. Jenny fidgets in her seat, "Why of course it is!" Vastra uses her dominant arm to strike at his left hand which causes the dagger to be thrown out of his hand and away from possible reach. "Damn it!" the Spider yells as he grasps his hand.
"Language sir. I will not allow such impolite outbursts whenever I'm around." As Vastra was finishing her sentence, she sees the Spider pull another item from inside his coat and points it at her general direction. It was a revolver and Vastra quickly noted that it wasn't pointing at her directly.
"You're a fool detective. Everybody knows you shouldn't bring a sword to a gun fight." He laughs maniacally as he pulls the trigger, sending the bullet straight towards Jenny. He continues to laugh until he hears a ping and then the bullet ricocheting. In front of him, Vastra is standing in front Jenny, sword held parallel from her. "You're mistaken sir. Everybody around here knows you shouldn't bring a gun to a fight against me." Before anything else could happen, Vastra whips out her tongue and knocks the thief unconscious. Jenny walks to the fallen body as Vastra sheaths her sword, "Did you poison him?" She checks the man's pulse and thinks otherwise. Vastra pulls out a set of handcuffs and cuff him, "No, I just simply smacked him hard enough to be rendered unconscious. My tongue is not just for poisoning Jenny, you should know that." Even though Vastra had spoken in such a casual tone, Jenny still blushed. They waited for Parker to arrive which only took fifteen minutes and rode to Scotland Yard. There, they briefly dropped off the wanted thief, paying no attention to the shocked expression on an officer's face and went back home. The ride back was silent; Jenny had left her seat across from Vastra and made herself sit comfortably beside her, cuddling for warmth. She didn't show it earlier, but Vastra was exhausted and lying down in a warm bed next to Jenny sounded magnificent. Vastra didn't notice the sleeping Jenny until after the trip was over, so she carried her in, up the stairs and into their bedroom. She gently placed her down, dismissing the fact that she was still in her combat wear and flopped down on the bed as well. She watches Jenny's chest rise and fall and admires how pieces of her hair are slowly coming undone from her bun. Vastra doesn't know why Jenny insists on fixing her hair in a bun. It's a rare opportunity for Vastra whenever she sees Jenny's hair down, despite in the mornings, but after a quick wash, Jenny pulls it back in her signature bun. She scoots closer to her wife and buries her head into Jenny's back, sleep gradually taking over.
Author's Notes
Ehe, summer school can be such a pain right? Well, chaptah four everybody! Just a thought, how do you guys think Vastra and Jenny would have a child? PM me your thoughts!