It wasn't until she found herself back home and slumped on the ground in the entrance hall that Vastra realised just how fast she had run to get back to safety. She had never been so exhausted in her life and as she breathed deeply, trying to take in all the air she could, all she could think of was what she had seen in that house. The object on the floor had been an arm. A disembodied metal arm. There was only one creature in the universe that it could have belonged to and even considering the possibility that they were there in London made the Silurian feel sick with fear. She could face any other creature on her own, her trusted katana could take down any other beast she had ever met, but not the Cybermen.
The house was dark and quiet and for a moment Vastra panicked - where was Jenny? In a split second she had pulled herself back up from the floor and rushed through the ground floor of the house checking the rooms over as thoroughly as she could, but there was no sign of the girl anywhere. Surely Jenny wouldn't have gone to bed without her, she never did that. It wasn't until Vastra hurried into the sitting room that she found what she was looking for. Although the fire in the room was dwindling there was just enough light for her to make out the form of her love lying on the sofa, fast asleep. Jenny was curled up like a little kitten with her knitting in one hand and the other resting gently on her stomach. The girl's nightdress covered most of her up but she also had a blanket draped over herself in a careless fashion for extra warmth and the ball of wool that she had been using to knit had taken the place of a pillow in the absence of anything else. As Vastra's eyes came to rest on her sweet little human she felt her racing heart begin to ease slightly and a small smile etched itself onto her face. All of the fear she had been feeling seemed to melt away momentarily and the only thing that Vastra felt was an unending adoration for Jenny. Through all of the troubles life could throw at her it warmed Vastra's heart to think that she still had her one safe place in the world, right there in the house on Paternoster Row with her darling Jenny and their unborn baby.
Careful not to make too much noise and wake the sleeping girl Vastra glided over to the sofa where Jenny lay and slid the knitting and ball of wool from her grasp. Jenny stirred slightly as her substitute pillow was removed from below her head but she did not wake. Then, as gently as she could, Vastra lifted Jenny into her arms like a small child. She hadn't realised how much difference the baby had made to the girl's weight but it took the Silurian a moment or so to adjust to the difference. She had expected Jenny to be a lot lighter but apparently babies weighed more than she had imagined. As Vastra stood still trying to adjust to the unexpected weight in her arms the girl shifted slightly and tucked her head into her love's shoulder. It was as though she had sensed Vastra's closeness and was attempting to get closer to her. The Silurian smiled at the thought and once she felt balanced enough she carried the girl up to their bedroom and tucked her into bed before changing and climbing into her own side of the bed.
Although Jenny's presence had distracted Vastra from her thoughts concerning the case she knew that the blissful state of peace that the girl had created would not last. Lying in the dark with Jenny still sleeping peacefully by her side the image of the metal arm from before re-materialised in her mind and all of a sudden Vastra felt tense and afraid again. Instinctively she shuffled closer to Jenny's warm little body and found a way to wriggle herself into the girl's arms so that she could bury her face in her chest and smell the comforting scent of Jenny's skin.
Jenny could feel Vastra's breath against her skin through the thin fabric of her night dress and her eyes flicked open instantly. Something was wrong, she could feel it. Vastra was so close to her. Of course they cuddled during the night a lot but never like that. It was as though the other woman feared letting go of her. Cool, scaled arms were wrapped securely around Jenny's waist and Vastra's face was pressed against her chest. What had happened? It was all Jenny could think. It took her a few moments to free herself from the haze that sleep had left on her mind but as the fogginess started to clear away she shifted slightly, getting Vastra's attention, and looked down at her with a concerned expression on her face.
"Vastra? Is everythin' okay?" The girl's brow was creased with worry and she cupped the Silurian's cheek gently in one of her hands. Looking into the other woman's eyes Jenny could see that she was right, there was something wrong. In all of the time that the pair had been together Jenny had never seen Vastra look so afraid. The sparkle in her eyes seemed to have vanished and, although they still held that striking shade of blue, there was something empty and distant about them. Vastra attempted to nod her head but Jenny just looked at her more sternly. She wasn't going to let the Silurian lie to her like that. She understood that Vastra was most likely only trying to protect her and that she didn't want her to worry, and under normal circumstances Jenny would have just let the matter drop until morning, but in that moment she just couldn't do it. Not when Vastra looked so terrified. Madame Vastra didn't get scared. Nothing scared her. So if she really was as scared as she looked then Jenny knew that she had to know what it was. "Darlin', what's 'appened?"
Vastra's eyes scanned her darling girl's face and she realised that there was no getting around the conversation. Jenny was stubborn when she wanted to be, and from the look in her eyes there was no way she was going to let Vastra even attempt to sleep until she had told her all about what had happened while she was out.
"The case... I know what the cause of those noises are..."
"And...?" Vastra shook her head again. She didn't want Jenny to worry. She just wanted them both to go to sleep so that she wouldn't have to think about it any longer. Every moment that she was awake the Silurian's mind was flashing back to previous encounters with the Cybermen. Back in her time she could have handled them, they had had guns and other weapons that could take legions out in a matter of seconds, but not anymore. In her technologically inferior present it was just Vastra and her swords stood in protection of the human race. She couldn't handle these creatures alone. "Vastra?"
"I need the Doctor's help. Jenny these creatures would kill me in an instant if I tried to face them alone." The colour seemed to drain from Jenny's face at the thought and Vastra immediately hated herself for saying anything. She knew Jenny would worry. She knew that she was better off not telling her anything. But the girl wouldn't have let her. "When did the Doctor say that he would be back?"
"I don't know. 'e said a week or so but it's been longer than that already. If Doctor Rackham's right about my dates then I'm nearer five months than four into this pregnancy an' when the Doctor was 'ere last 'e said I was around two months in." The girl frowned and Vastra felt her stomach tying itself in knots. The last thing she needed with Cybermen on the loose was for that man and his time machine being unreliable with their visits. She would have to find a way to contact him. Something. Anything that would get his attention. The only thing she could think of was to go on an ape hunt like she had when she was young but she had a feeling that that particular solution was prompted more by her fears than a serious idea that she thought should be considered. "Vastra, what is it that you can't 'andle without 'im? I've never known you to be like this about any case... should I be worried?" Vastra looked up into Jenny's eyes. If her darling girl started to worry then the Silurian didn't know what she would do. Jenny was her safe place. She was the only thing keeping her level-headed until she could get hold of the Doctor. She needed her to stay positive, no matter what.
"I do not want you to worry Jenny. I know it is not often that I find something that I cannot face alone but even I am not invincible my love, no matter how much I may like to pretend that I am."
"But what did you see in there? Why are you so scared?" Jenny couldn't let it go. She needed Vastra and if there was even the smallest chance that the case and whatever it involved could take the Silurian from her then Jenny wanted to know about it. She could feel Vastra's hands gripping onto her tightly and her heart ached with worry. She didn't know how much longer she could stand to see the woman like that, so terrified an insecure. "Please love, I just need..."
"Cybermen." A frown etched itself on Jenny's face. "They are not a race as such - well, they are in a way. They are created from the brains of human beings placed into metallic exoskeletons. All emotion is removed. Anything that would make the robots act as human beings is cut away until they can only think in terms of expansion. "
"Robots. You saw metal men in there?"
"Not exactly. I saw the machine that creates them, and a disembodied arm."
"So, you don't know for sure?" Jenny was having a hard time taking it all in. Human brains inside metal suits with no emotion or humanity. A machine that just chopped out people's brains and turned them into those things. Surely Vastra was wrong, she had to be.
"I wish I could say I did not. Jenny, our methods of combat would be useless against just one and I have no idea how many there may be. I need the Doctor. I will not risk those things taking over this world and I certainly will not risk them taking you from me." Jenny realised in that moment what it really was that was scaring Vastra. It wasn't just that she couldn't fight the threat they now faced alone (although that didn't help matters at all), what she was really scared of was the consequences that came along with her inability to stop whatever it was the Cybermen were up to. If she couldn't fight them then they would take over the planet, and they would turn every human into one of them - every human including Jenny. With no idea how else to comfort the Silurian Jenny simply pulled her as close as she could and kissed her deeply. All of the tension in Vastra's body seemed to melt away and as she pulled away from her darling girl she took a deep breath in an attempt to keep her composure.
"I'm sure you'll find a way to get 'im 'ere," Jenny murmured, "after all, I don't know anyone else who knows 'im as well as you do. It's just a shame you can't send 'im messages using your mind, now that really would be 'elpful."
"Wait," Vastra released her grip on Jenny and sat up abruptly, her eyes wide in realisation, "what did you just say?" Jenny raised an eyebrow and looked up at the woman sat above her. She didn't think she'd said anything - not anything that would have been of any use anyway. Vastra looked down at the girl again and, realising that Jenny had no idea what she meant she laughed. "Psychic paper."
"What?"
"Psychic paper. I don't know why I didn't think of it before." A smile spread across Vastra's face and she leaned down and kissed Jenny again. "Oh you wonderful, beautiful girl! Whatever would I do without you?" Again she pulled Jenny to her lips and the girl giggled into the kiss.
"Well," she laughed as she finally managed to pull away from the Silurian, "I don't know what I said but I sure as 'ell am glad that I said it." Jenny felt herself relax more as she looked back into Vastra's eyes and noticed how the sparkle was beginning to creep back into them. It was amazing how just the slightest sign of hope could make such a drastic improvement in the woman's mood but it was also so comforting to Jenny. She hated seeing her Vastra so down, it was like a dagger through her heart whenever anything upset the woman even in the slightest. Jenny never wanted to see her like that again. Pain in the woman's eyes was difficult to see but the fear that had been there before had almost broken Jenny's heart. "Now, my love, I think we both need to get some sleep, don't you." The girl pulled Vastra back down to lie next to her and she snuggled herself into the other woman's body.
"I am so lucky to have you" Vastra whispered. She pressed a kiss to the top of Jenny's head and held her body as close as she could. She would be thankful when the Doctor was there and she could get the case well and truly completed, but until that time came she was content to remain just where she was, curled up with her darling human girl, both safe and warm together.