Everything was quiet, it had been that way since she had heard Vastra and the Doctor leave. Somehow Jenny thought that it was worse being trapped in the house alone than it was being stuck there with Vastra watching her every move. Even though she hated feeling that she was constantly being watched, at least when the Silurian was there she had someone to talk to in order to escape the mind numbing boredom.
Jenny had been sat in their bed in silence for so long that she had entirely lost track of what time it was or how long it had been since the other two had left. She found it quite ironic how she could be friends with a time lord and yet her awareness of time at that moment seemed to have completely escaped her. The girl knew she could have just checked the clock but to be quite frank she didn't see what difference it would make anyway. She wasn't leaving that room until Vastra stopped being stubborn and the Silurian certainly wasn't coming in. Jenny didn't care how many times the other woman apologised, it would take more than that to win her over after keeping her locked up like a prisoner for two straight weeks. Sighing, the girl leant back against the pillows and looked down at her belly.
"This is your fault y'know," she muttered, slightly more bitterly than was necessary, "she knows I could 'andle myself, she's only makin' me stay 'ere because o' you." Jenny knew she was being ridiculous blaming her unborn child for the problems that her confinement was causing between herself and Vastra but strictly speaking it was the little thing's fault. Vastra had trained Jenny to fight. She had trained her to be able to go on missions and protect herself. The only thing holding the girl back was the baby. "It doesn't 'elp that your mother's as stubborn as she is either. She never gives in, even when I'm right and she's not. Not that I'm sayin' I'm always right mind you, that'd be silly, but I'm right more often than she acknowledges an' it drives me up the bleedin' wall!" For a moment Jenny went quiet once more but after a few seconds she began to giggle to herself and she rested her hand on the curve of her stomach. "Listen to me, talkin' to you like you've got any idea what I'm sayin'. I wonder what you'd be thinkin' if you could understand me though, 'ey? You'd probably be tellin' me to stop givin' 'er an 'ard time an' that she's only lookin' after us, wouldn't you...?" She shook her head and let her eyes wonder across to Vastra's side of the bed. "Well, I'm sorry little 'un but I aint givin' in easy this time. I let 'er off for 'er slip ups most o' the time but I 'ate bein' locked up 'ere an' I swear if I 'ave to do it for much longer she's gonna 'ave to put up with much worse than me jus' lockin' 'er out o' the room." The girl didn't know what to expect really. Obviously she wasn't going to get an answer any time soon, and really she would have been a little afraid if the kid did respond. She didn't think even a mixed species child would be capable of that while still unborn.
As Jenny's one sided conversation with her baby died out the master bedroom fell back into an eerie silence. The lack of noise was the worst part in Jenny's mind. It just reminded her that Vastra wasn't there which then made her start to second guess whether her love was okay or not. Was she even still alive? Yes, Jenny had no doubt about that. She would have known if Vastra were dead, just as she had known that something was wrong on the night when the woman had returned from her case with that stab wound in her side. It was strange, Jenny thought, how certain memories could come back so easily at such unexpected times. She hadn't thought about that night in a very long time but it was oddly comforting in a way. Of course Jenny was still angry at Vastra but she still worried, and the memory that she had sensed the woman's pain before was a nice reminder that if something were wrong then she would most likely know about it.
Jenny wondered if Vastra and the Doctor had found the Cybermen yet. She wondered how many there were and if any of the people who had disappeared were still alive. A thousand questions about the case were rushing through her head all at once and she just wished that she could be there to find out the answers for herself. She had to find some way to distract herself, she couldn't just sit there sulking like a child and letting herself worry about the woman she loved. Jenny was just about to get up to find her knitting when there was a soft knock on the bedroom door that halted her attempts at movement.
"Jenny?" The tone of Vastra's voice seemed softer than usual and Jenny smiled to herself a little at the sound of it. The older woman liked to pretend to be big and strong most of the time but when she knew she had upset her sweet girl she always allowed her solid exterior to crumble away. "Darling please, open the door. I'm sorry." Usually Vastra's heartfelt pleas for forgiveness and the gentler tone of her voice would pull at Jenny's heart and she would forgive the woman immediately, but after everything she was determined not to give in so easily.
"Go away Vastra." A part of the girl truly hated herself for being so stubborn. She didn't want to fight or build a barrier between herself and Vastra. She didn't really want to shut the Silurian out at all. All Jenny wanted was for the woman she loved to listen to her when she said that she needed freedom to come and go as she pleased. She understood that Vastra was scared for her but her love and protection was becoming suffocating and Jenny simply couldn't handle it. Pushing Vastra away was the only way she could think of to get her to listen.
On the other side of the door Jenny heard Vastra hiss irritably. The Silurian could see what her little human girl was doing and it upset her intensely. All she had been trying to do was to protect her family, was that so wrong? She didn't think so. But of course Jenny would be stubborn about it. The girl had a talent for being stubborn and, although at times it annoyed Vastra, in her eyes it was also one of the most endearing traits that Jenny possessed. There was something incredibly cute about her refusal to give in, although Vastra couldn't understand why, and in a way it made the Silurian more determined to earn the girl's forgiveness.
"I am not going anywhere until we have talked, my love." As she spoke, Vastra pressed her back against the door and slowly she slid down the wooden surface until she was sitting on the floor and leaning against the doorframe. She was so tired that she could feel her eyes willing themselves closed but she forced herself to stay awake. She would not allow herself to sleep until Jenny had forgiven her and they were back on good terms, the girl was far more important than anything else, sleep included.
"Well you're gonna be waitin' a long time!"
"Jenny please!"
Silence fell between them and Jenny began to chew on her bottom lip lightly. Shutting Vastra out wasn't as easy as she had hoped. Every time her name fell from the Silurian's lips all she wanted was to open the door and let her love hold her. Whether she was angry at her or not Jenny still loved the woman with all of her heart and she loved that Vastra cared for her so much, even if it did become a little too much at times. She turned away from the door and (with a little difficulty) lay down on her side. She had hoped that moving her attention from the place where Vastra was sat would distract her from the Silurian's presence but it didn't. Instead she found herself staring at the empty side of the bed where Vastra belonged and it only made shutting her out even harder.
"We destroyed them you know..." Jenny couldn't hold back the slight smile that pulled at the corners of her mouth but she didn't respond. She was glad that 'the threat' (as Vastra had been referring to the Cybermen) was gone, but she still wasn't sure that it meant that Vastra would lighten up her protective impulses. Despite Jenny's refusal to participate in the conversation Vastra continued to talk. A part of her was hoping that it would spark some normality between them, she couldn't bear to be shut out by the one person who meant the most to her in the world. "The machine broke... none of the humans who were taken were harmed. We saved them, just like we saved you from that gang." Jenny felt tears in her eyes at the mention of the night they met. She knew a part of her had belonged to Vastra from the first time that she had seen her. The Silurian had been so beautiful and yet such a mystery, and despite her initial worries about Jenny the girl knew that as they had learned more about one another Vastra had grown to feel the same love that Jenny had felt from that very first moment.
Jenny felt as though something was being churned up in her stomach as she remembered that moment when she had begun to fall in love with Vastra and she tried to rub the bump of her belly to calm the feeling. Involuntarily a small moan broke from the back of her throat and outside the door behind her she heard the Silurian hiss once more. There was a rustle and then a bump followed by the sound of something scratching against the lock of the door. Before Jenny knew what was going on the bedroom door had swung open and Vastra rushed over to her.
"What's wrong? Is it the baby?" A worried expression passed over her face for a moment but as Jenny smiled slightly the Silurian's features relaxed a little. Vastra had felt her heart stop when she had heard Jenny's groan. A part of her had truly believed that something was seriously wrong and, although she hadn't wanted to enter the room against her darling girl's wishes she had instinctively needed to check that her love was okay.
"You worry too much," Jenny whispered as she tried to turn herself over to face the Silurian who was perched on the edge of the bed behind her, "sometimes I think it'll be that that finishes you off instead o' any o' them criminals you go chasin' after." Vastra's gaze dropped down to the girl's stomach and Jenny sighed. Gently, she took Vastra's hand and pressed it to the bump, groaning a little uncomfortably as the churning feeling started up again. "It's been wrigglin' around in there on an' off all day. Don't seem to want to settle no matter what I do." Vastra's thumb traced tiny circles on the side of Jenny's stomach where the girl had placed it and she leant down so that her face was level with the bump.
"Now, now little one," she whispered, "your poor mummy has enough problems with me being selfish and inconsiderate, she does not need you making her uncomfortable in there as well." The Silurian dipped her head to kiss her darling girl's stomach and she rested her cheek against its warmth for a moment. "I really was only trying to keep you both safe Jenny..."
"I know." Light, cerulean eyes wondered up to look into the girl's face and Vastra lifted her head from her stomach. A small smile played on Jenny's lips and she patted the bed next to her for Vastra to lay by her side. The older woman carefully climbed over the girl's body and settled herself into the pillows as Jenny readjusted her position. She pulled Vastra close so that their bodies fit together like spoons and she giggled slightly as the Silurian nuzzled her face into the thick curls of her hair at the back of her neck.
Vastra had been beginning to think that she had hurt Jenny a little too much when she had been sat outside the door only a few minutes before. She had felt as though her heart was tearing itself apart from the inside and all she had wanted was for Jenny to know how sorry she was and to understand that she only went to such extremes because the mere thought of losing what they had made her think her life couldn't possibly go on. For a while Vastra had begun to wonder if the girl would ever let her anywhere near to her again, or if she had ruined it all by loving her Jenny too much; but as she lay with the girl in her arms and their child now much more settled in its mother's stomach all of the Silurian's fears flowed out of her mind and ebbed away into nothingness.
"I am truly sorry my darling, so very sorry. I never meant to..."
"Vastra stop. It's okay. You wanted us to be safe and I know that." Jenny laced her fingers through the other woman's and pulled her arms tighter around herself. "You may 'ave gone about it the wrong way but you were only tryin' to protect us. I'm sorry I got so upset, I just need to get out of 'ere. I need a change. I feel like I've been locked in a cage an' now all I want to do is run an' run an' only stop when I absolutely can't carry on any longer." Vastra shifted her weight so that she was leaning up on her elbow and she chuckled slightly to herself. She hadn't meant to ruin the moment but somehow the thought of Jenny running while pregnant was a rather amusing concept.
"I am not sure the little one would appreciate you going for a jog in your condition." Jenny giggled and rolled her eyes, only Vastra could turn something so serious into a joke without meaning to. "You are right of course. I can only imagine how bored you must be of the inside of this house. So, I have a surprise for you..." Jenny turned to look at her love who leaned over her and pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head. The girl's eyes lit up at the mention of the word surprise and a grin spread right across her face. Vastra couldn't suppress another chuckle at the sight of it. It was so refreshing to the old warrior when her darling girl showed just how young she truly was. Vastra almost felt young herself in the odd moments that Jenny let her guard down and allowed herself to stop wearing the sensible mask of a grown up for a change.
At the very prospect of a surprise Jenny smoothly extracted herself from Vastra's arms and, with a little more help from the Silurian, managed to sit herself up once more. Although Jenny hated having to be helped up as though she were an invalid somehow she didn't mind it so much when the woman she loved had set up some sort of surprise for her. It was almost worth the humiliation that she was unable to move about smoothly by herself.
As the two women descended the stairs her excitement seemed to triple and if it had been possible or socially acceptable Vastra was sure that Jenny would have run all the way down the stairs to the TARDIS which stood waiting for them just by the front door. At the sight of it Jenny had gripped her loves hand tightly and Vastra thought she had never seen the girl smile so brightly in all of the time that they had been together.
"Where are we going?" She had pleaded with the woman to tell her but Vastra had merely placed a hand against her back and guided her down to the bottom of the stairs. She didn't want Jenny to know what the surprise would be, it would entirely defeat the object. Still, it didn't stop Jenny from asking. Throughout the journey through the time vortex the girl begged Vastra to tell her what it was, even allowing herself to tear up at one point in the hope that the Silurian would give in, but still she wouldn't tell. It was only when the TARDIS landed and the Doctor winked at her that Jenny's begging ceased and her eyes wondered to the door.
"What's out there...?"
~.~.~.~.~.~
The feeling of the soft sand sliding between her toes was heavenly and with each step Jenny took she began to feel more and more at peace with herself. It was almost as though she were reconnecting with nature from the time that she had spent locked away from it and as the golden waves of water rolled over her feet again and again the girl sighed contentedly. Of all of the places in all of time and space that Vastra could have brought her to after her two weeks in the house Jenny was very pleased with the woman's choice.
"What did you say this place was called again?" The girl slipped her arm through that of the other woman and as they walked she rested her head on Vastra's shoulder.
"Derida." Jenny loved how the word rolled from Vastra's tongue so that the r was a softer sound and each syllable floated onto the air rather than shooting from the woman's mouth. When she herself tried to say the name of the beautiful planet that her love had brought her to it sounded harsh and common, but Vastra's pronunciation was flawless.
Derida really was beautiful. The entire planet was like an oversized beach that stretched on for hundreds of thousands of miles in every direction. It was very different to the beaches on earth that Jenny had seen in pictures though. The skies were tinted in the softest shade of yellow and the sea water that flowed beneath it looked to be pure gold in liquid form. While Jenny had been told by friends that the sea on earth tasted of salt the waters of Derida were so pure and clean and light that if one were to immerse themselves in it they would barely be able to tell the difference between the sea and the open air. The sandy beaches that broke up the water were soft and even and at that moment in time the beach that Vastra and Jenny were walking along was entirely deserted but for the exception of themselves, the Doctor and the TARDIS (the latter of which were hanging around somewhere far behind to give the two women some time alone).
"You know, this place was once a very popular destination for lovers to visit simply for its pure, untainted beauty" Vastra commented. To look at the place it was hard to believe that anyone else had ever walked along the sand or witnessed the ethereal blue sun that lit the shores. "Of course, over time much of traditional romance throughout the universe died out and with it went the desire for lovers to come here. I believe the Doctor mentioned to me that we would be the first beings to set foot on this planet in near enough twenty thousand years." Jenny tilted her gaze up to meet Vastra's and lifting her head from the woman's shoulder shook it from side to side in disbelief.
"Y'know, you say that romance died out but I don't see 'ow that's possible. I see ladies in London gettin' romanced every day an'... well, then there's everythin' you do for me..." Vastra laughed and redirected the path which they were walking slightly further away from the water and onto the drier sand.
"The human race is one of very few who still allow themselves to be led by their hearts and the idea of love, my darling. And as for me, I suppose I just allowed myself to give in to the idealisation of love when I found you. The heart really is rather complex. Before I met you an idea such as this would never have occurred to me, yet here we are." Jenny felt a slight blush creeping into her cheeks and she stopped their progress along the beach, turning Vastra to face her. The Silurian's eyes observed her carefully and Jenny had to really try not to blush any more obviously than she already was.
"I know we don't actually say it as often as we should," she whispered, gently wrapping her hand around the back of the other woman's neck, "but you really do mean the world to me. I barely remember what my life was like before you any more Vastra, it's like you've taken over my mind. An' I want you to know, that I've never been 'appier than I am every second that I get to spend with you." At some point as she spoke tears had sprung into Jenny's eyes and carefully Vastra lifted her fingers to brush away the first few tears that were beginning to roll down the girl's cheeks.
"Oh, my silly little human. We do not say it because it does not need to be said." She leant down and gently kissed the girl's lips, sighing contentedly as she felt the little bump that was their child getting in the way of their embrace. The Silurian may have missed the feeling of Jenny's tiny little body held tightly against her own but there was something so heart warming about the child being a part of them and their love and she simply couldn't be annoyed about it keeping them further apart. "Now, come along my dear, we really should be getting back to the Doctor - it is getting late and you know how stroppy and childish he can be."