Note: Hello my lovelies, sorry for the slight delay with this chapter. I know that you're all itching to know more but I'm afraid I'm having laptop troubles at the moment and it's delaying me a little. My laptop is currently off getting repaired so I'm having to share my mum's with her and my sister. Unfortunately that does mean that I don't have as much access time to write as I would like but I promise I'll try to keep getting updates to you as often as I can. Bear with me and hopefully I will have my own laptop back before too long so that I can (possibly) get back to the chapter-a-day schedule that I had going when I first started this fic. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and as always reviews are more than welcome – in fact, I encourage reviewing as I love to hear what you all think!
Love always
Shadow of a Black Rose xxx
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There was something bothering Vastra, the Doctor didn't know what it was but he could see that something wasn't right. As the Silurian tucked Jenny up in bed he could see in her every move that there was something on her mind that was getting to her. He had expected kisses, caresses and whispered words of comfort but Vastra displayed nothing of the sort – in fact, her bedside manner was uncomfortably distant for someone caring for their partner and although her facial expression was soft and every now and again she would look down at the girl's stomach Vastra didn't say a single word the whole time that she was tending to Jenny. The Doctor didn't like it, he had never seen Vastra withdraw herself from Jenny to such an extent and it bothered him so much that as the Silurian stepped back from the bed he pulled the woman out of the room by her arm and closed the door behind them.
"What's wrong?" The Doctor never had developed a knack for approaching sensitive issues lightly and Vastra tensed at his harsh tone, she had been dreading the inevitable interrogation.
"Nothing." She had hoped that the time lord would be too distracted by Jenny's health issues to notice her demeanour towards the girl but apparently she hadn't been quite as lucky as she had hoped. She wanted to turn and leave but she knew that the Doctor would never let her, not until he had been given an answer – he was ridiculously stubborn in that respect. Vastra could tell from the way that his eyes remained fixed on her own that he didn't believe her; it was as though he were attempting to probe her mind to find out the truth. With a slight hiss the Silurian rolled her eyes and turned her face away so that she was staring out of the window to their left. "Nothing that is any of your concern, old friend."
"Don't lie to me Vastra, something's happened between you two and whatever it is, it's not good." Another low hiss signalled the Silurian's annoyance but Vastra said nothing more. Her cerulean eyes were fixed on the figure pacing back and forth just outside the front door and somewhere deep inside the lizard woman had to suppress the urge to go down there and rip the man limb from limb. She had never seen him before but it wasn't difficult for her to figure out who he was - he was the man Jenny had been looking for down at the docks. "Vastra!" Reluctantly she forced herself to look back into the Doctor's face but she wished that she hadn't. As his eyes scanned her features something changed in the time lord's expression and without saying a word he pulled Vastra to him, hugging her tightly and patting her back in a reassuring manner. She must have looked as heartbroken as she felt; there was no other explanation that Vastra could think of as to why the Doctor was being so unusually intimate towards her. "What happened?"
"I... I think..." Vastra didn't want to say it out loud, thinking about it was one thing but to hear it said would make it far too real and the Silurian was scared that if she said it she wouldn't be able to control her emotions. The Doctor was still holding her close to him and she hesitantly allowed herself to relax into the hug a little. It was strangely comforting to know that he was there and that he cared but nothing would ever really heal the tear in her heart that Jenny had caused. "I think Jenny has been seeing someone else."
The Doctor's grip loosened around Vastra and slowly he pulled himself back from her. His brow was creased in a deep frown as the Silurian got a glimpse of his expression and she had to really focus on staying calm as she felt her heart breaking a little bit more. She had been right, saying it out loud only made matters worse. She only hoped that the Doctor would begin to speak again quickly if only to stop her from hearing the words over and over again in her head – Jenny has been seeing someone else.
"What do you mean 'seeing'? What is that?"
"I mean that there is a very good chance that that baby is not mine!" Vastra snapped. Her hands clenched into fists and her eyes seemed to emit sparks as she glared at the time lord. She simply didn't have the patience for the Doctor's immaturity and inability to understand the subtleties used within adult conversation at that moment in time. Vastra tried her best to remain as calm as she could but even beneath all of the anger the Doctor could see how hurt she was. She was trying to put up a dangerous facade but all he could see was her pain and he never thought he had seen her so vulnerable before in all of the time that they had known one another.
"Are you sure Vastra? Do you really believe she would do that to you?"
"Well why else would she have gone to that place after we had fought? How else would the man out there have known where to find her?" She pointed her finger out of the window and the Doctor peered at him through the pane of glass.
"He was by the docks?"
"He saw what happened and called her name. She's never mentioned anyone from that area to me before Doctor. Why would she keep him a secret if she didn't have something to hide?" It didn't seem quite right to the Doctor. If the man outside really was Jenny's lover and he had seen her in that much pain then why had he not even attempted to knock and gain entrance to see the girl? There must have been more to it than what Vastra believed she knew. Even so, to contradict the Silurian would only confuse matters further and so the Doctor merely nodded and looked back towards the door of the bedroom that Jenny and Vastra shared.
"You should go and sit with her. But please don't upset her, she's too weak to deal with anything too dramatic right now."
"I cannot go in there and pretend that nothing has happened Doctor!" Vastra's eyes widened at the mere suggestion and she crossed her arms over her chest. The Doctor sighed. Indignation didn't suit the Silurian, not to mention the fact that she clearly wanted nothing more than to protect the girl she loved. It seemed to the Doctor that he knew Vastra better than she knew herself and that she was only refusing his suggestion because she knew it would only hurt her more to see Jenny in pain.
"Vastra, you love her; don't let your pride get in the way of that. She needs you." With that he turned and headed for the stairs.
"Where are you going?"
"To talk to the chap hanging around on your doorstep of course!"
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When she re-entered the bedroom Vastra was relieved to find that Jenny was asleep. A part of her had been afraid that the girl would have been waiting for her, wanting to talk; but how could Vastra have any sort of conversation with Jenny that wouldn't make her want to ask why? It was the only thought in the Silurian's mind aside from her worries for Jenny and the baby – why would Jenny do it to her? Why would Jenny betray her like that when she had said that she loved her? To look at Jenny curled up under the blankets and sleeping soundly it was hard to believe that she could ever hurt anyone or anything. Of course, Vastra had seen the girl with a sword in her hands and knew better than to think that she was harmless but she had never considered herself to be in harm's way.
Slowly the Silurian moved over to Jenny's side of the bed and gently perched herself on the edge by the girl's side. As the bed shifted slightly under her weight Jenny stirred and a pale hand reached up, grasping at the air as though it was attempting to take hold of something invisible to the eye. For a moment Vastra hesitated. Was it her that Jenny was reaching for, or was it that man who had probably managed to find his way into their home by that point? Honestly she wasn't entirely sure that she wanted to know the answer. Nevertheless, whoever Jenny was reaching for she would have to make do with the only other person in the room and so Vastra took hold of her warm little hand between both of her own and watched as the girl settled again immediately. Vastra could feel tears beginning to well in her eyes and her stomach tying itself in knots from the second her scales made contact with Jenny's skin. It felt so right to feel the girl's lovely warm flesh against her own cool, hard scales and yet it sickened the Silurian just to imagine anyone else so much as touching any part of her Jenny. A tear rolled down Vastra's cheek and she lifted Jenny's hand to her heart, holding it there to reassure herself that, for the time being, the girl was still there with her.
Jenny's eyelids flickered slightly as she felt her arm being lifted up and as she slowly opened her eyes she caught sight of a rather forlorn looking Vastra sitting over her. The girl's immediate instinct was to pull the woman into her arms and not let go until she no longer looked so sad but as she seemed to be lacking in energy Jenny decided to give herself a few minutes to reconnect with the world before alerting Vastra to her consciousness. As she lay there she studied the Silurian closely and she began to grow more and more concerned with every second that she watched her. Vastra's eyes were closed and her head tilted forwards slightly towards Jenny's hand which she was clutching tightly to her chest. Her lips were pressed together as though she were trying to hold back a sob and Jenny could see a few tears resting in the crevices between the scales on the Silurian's cheeks. The girl knew that Vastra worried about her but she had never seen her look so pained before and she couldn't help but wonder what had caused it. Jenny rolled onto her side as she began to feel a little stronger and very carefully she lifted her fingers to brush the tears from one of Vastra's cheeks.
As warm fingers unexpectedly brushed against cool scales Vastra jumped slightly and her eyes sprang open to find the girl in the bed peering up at her. Immediately the Silurian's mind went into overdrive considering all of the things that she wanted to say but couldn't before she finally found something that wouldn't upset Jenny too much.
"You are awake..." Thinking it over Vastra was almost entirely sure that she could have come up with something a little more intelligent to say but quite frankly her mind had gone entirely blank as those familiar big brown eyes looked up at her with concern swimming in their depths. Jenny nodded her assent but the worry painted on her features didn't appear to lessen. Her eyes seemed to delve into the depths of Vastra's soul and the Silurian was almost sure that the girl could see every worry and feeling of hurt that was festering in the depths of her mind at that very minute.
"Is somethin' the matter my darlin'?" A part of Jenny wondered if perhaps Vastra was still upset about their earlier fight but somehow she didn't think even that would make the Silurian seem as pained as she did at that moment. Another part of her wondered if something was wrong with the baby. The pains she had felt down by the docks had been pure agony but Jenny didn't think that anything had happened; she would have known if it had. With those possibilities eliminated Jenny searched her mind for any other explanation to her darling lizard's heartache but she couldn't come up with anything.
For a few moments Vastra stared down at Jenny blankly. Her lips moved as though she was intending to speak but nothing seemed to be coming out. What could she say? The Doctor had told her not to upset the girl but what good would it do not to discuss the matter. Vastra needed to know the truth, the uncertainty of it all was killing her. Surely Jenny was strong enough to simply discuss the matter so long as the Silurian didn't allow herself to get too worked up. The real question was whether or not Vastra could keep her temper at bay when she was so hurt by the simple possibility of what Jenny may have done. Realising that she probably would not have the ability to remain calm Vastra opted merely to shake her head. She couldn't risk starting an argument if it would put either Jenny or the baby in distress.
As the Silurian shook her head slowly Jenny felt her heart sink. She knew that Vastra was lying to her, how could she not be when Jenny had seen the state that she was in? She had thought that their relationship was better than that. Lies and secrets were things that other people allowed to ruin their relationships; she and Vastra had never been like that. They never kept anything from one another, that was why their relationship had always been so strong – at least, that was what Jenny had thought.
"Vastra, why won't you tell me? I can see you've been cryin'... why are you lyin' to me?" The girl's voice shook a little and Vastra could feel herself wanting to give in. She hated seeing Jenny so weak and then by lying to her she was only making it worse. Despite all or the hurt and pain that the girl had made her feel Vastra still couldn't stand to see it the other way around.
"We can discuss it later. It does not matter now."
"It matters to me!"
"Please, let's not fight again." Vastra let go of Jenny's hand and lifted her fingers to wipe the tears from her own cheeks. Any issues of the child's parentage could wait. Vastra refused to discuss the matter any further.
For a short while the two women simply remained where they were in complete silence. Vastra avoided Jenny's eye as best she could but the girl wouldn't look away from her. The Silurian was sure Jenny knew that there was something wrong; it was always easy to tell with the girl who insisted on fixating on any problems until they were solved. It was an utterly ridiculous way of dealing with any problematic situation in Vastra's opinion and yet she also loved that Jenny cared enough about solving their issues to put so much energy and time into it.
"You seemed angry with me down by the docks... was it because o' what I said?" Jenny tried to slip a hand into one of Vastra's own but the Silurian didn't reciprocate; she didn't move her hand away as such but she also made no attempt to hold onto Jenny's. The girl sighed and continued to observe the other woman closely. "I really didn't mean it love... I wasn't thinkin'. I never meant to 'urt you..."
"But you did." The words were sharp and short and Vastra felt her claws digging into her own leg as she tried her hardest not to lose her temper. She could see the danger in starting the conversation that Jenny apparently wanted to have, it would be only too easy for Vastra to say something that she may regret. The Silurian kept her eyes fixed on her own lap to try and discourage herself – to look at Jenny or the curve of her stomach would only push her further towards confronting the girl and she couldn't let herself do that.
"I know, an' I'm sorry. I know you care about us Vastra. Can we please forget I ever said it?"
"It is not what you said that hurt me though Jenny, it is why. Why would you question how much I care when you know that I would do anything for you?" Tears were brimming in Vastra's eyes once more but she would not let herself cry. She couldn't keep giving in to it as she had been doing; it was a weakness and one that she wanted to stop. A part of the Silurian wished that she had never learned what real love felt like - it just seemed to hurt too much.
"I told you, I was upset... I didn't think before I started speakin'." Vastra's eyes shot up to look at the girl properly for the first time. She was about to fight back but something stopped her.
"Jenny..." The Silurian could smell blood on the air, lots of it. It was all around them, filling the room and sending Vastra a little dizzy with the sheer density of it. Something was wrong.
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As the door to 13 Paternoster row swung open the man who had been pacing before it gave a start. He had been trying to work up the courage to knock for a good hour but for a number of reasons he had simply been unable to do it. What would the inhabitants think of a grubby old working man appearing on their doorstep asking after the maid of the house? How could he explain his knowing the address at which he could find Jenny or the reason that he needed to see her at all? His most predominant question, however, had nothing to do with any of the house's inhabitants but one. How could he ever explain to Jenny why he had had to come even after everything that had happened the last time that they spoke?
"Oi, you. Come here." He had just been about to turn and leave when a man stood in the doorway called him back. For a moment he hesitated. Jenny had never mentioned a man before, only herself and her mistress. Mr Flint stiffened a little at the thought of the woman but he forced himself to overlook it. He had seen them both down by the docks, his daughter and the lady she served. It had looked as though they were arguing but the second that Jenny had keeled over the other woman had lifted her into her arms as though she were weightless and disappeared off into the crowd of working men. He couldn't understand how any woman could be so strong but he consoled himself with the hope that he may get a chance to ask now that one of the inhabitants of the dwelling had noticed his presence.
The man in the doorway beckoned Mr Flint over encouragingly and eventually he began to plod towards the open door of the house. He felt ridiculous even standing in such a high class part of London. His grubby work clothes made him stick out like a sore thumb and he knew full well that the second he began to speak it would become even clearer to anyone within earshot that he should not have been there at all.
"Sorry to int'rupt s'r," he mumbled as he approached the doorway "I were jus' wond'rin'..."
"How Jenny is, yes, we know." The Doctor looked the man over carefully. Surely Vastra couldn't really believe that Jenny had been going behind her back with the man that now stood before him. He may not have known much about the girl's preferences in companionship but the Doctor was sure that even if Jenny was seeing someone behind the Silurian's back she would have much higher standards than she was being credited with. The man was strongly built with greying dark hair on both his head and face. The Doctor would have guessed that he was in his mid to late fifties although he could have been younger taking his class and background into consideration (it wouldn't have been the first time that a life of hardship had aged a person). His clothes were grubby and he stank of a mixture of sweat and fish but the Doctor put both down to his profession and the knowledge that the man had come straight from the Docks on seeing what had happened with Jenny. "Why don't you come in, Mr..."
"Flint. John Flint, s'r." As the Doctor stepped back John was a little hesitant to enter. He looked down at himself for a moment, scrutinising every stain on his clothing, and frowned to himself. People like him were never allowed entrance to houses in the upper class areas, particularly by the front door. Still, knowing he was better off doing as he was bid John stepped inside the house just enough for the Doctor to close the door behind him and turn to look at their guest face on.
"I'm the Doctor; Jenny's a friend of mine." He held out his hand but John made no move to take it. He didn't want to be seen as too forward and so he simply nodded his head in acknowledgement.
"Pleasure s'r."
"Less of the 'sir', it's the Doctor. Just the Doctor." John raised an eyebrow but he didn't question the strange gentleman's motives for being so friendly. As long as he would tell him if his daughter was okay that was all that he cared about. "So, how is it that you know our Jenny then?" For a moment John didn't know what to say. Of course, he hadn't expected Jenny to have told anyone in her new home about her family but he had at least expected them to have made the assumption on seeing him and hearing his name – why else would he have been there if not out of the unconditional love of a father?
"Jenny's my lil' lass... been so since the day she were born." The Doctor's eyes immediately widened. Of course, how had he not guessed? A man of that age with such a concern for the girl's wellbeing, he couldn't have been anyone but her father. A grin spread over his face and he took hold of the man's hand and shook it enthusiastically as John simply stared at him in surprise.
"Oh, it's a pleasure Mr Flint, a real pleasure to meet you. You have a lovely daughter, has anyone ever told you that?" John didn't respond. Actually, he wasn't entirely sure that anyone had ever told him that Jenny was lovely before but somehow it was nice to hear it. However, he still wasn't sure about the Doctor. Who was he, and how had he come to know his daughter so well? The Doctor didn't seem to notice that he still hadn't received an answer to his question. When he finally released Jenny's father's hand he led the man through to the sitting room where he indicated for John to sit but the man was far too self conscious to take a seat.
"So, Jenny... 'ow is th' lass? She didn't look too good las' I saw of 'er..." John was trying not to seem too concerned but honestly he was entirely terrified. One minute he had caught sight of his daughter and her veiled mistress, the next the girl had all but collapsed into the other woman's arms and the pair had disappeared from sight. Just the thought that something could be wrong with his daughter had had John running from one end of London to the other until he found himself right where he was with the Doctor watching him closely.
"She's okay, she won't be up and about for a while yet..."
"Wha'? Why no'?"
"Well, probably safer for her to rest until the baby comes. She'll be fine though."
"Baby?!" John's eyes nearly tripled in size they had widened so much and for a minute he wasn't sure if he had been hearing things or not. As the Doctor tensed up a little, however, the other man realised that he really had heard right. "Bu'... bu' tha' can't be right... Jenny's a... a..."
"Lesbian. Yes, I know. It's complicated. You should probably be discussing this with her and Vastra." The Doctor couldn't help but notice how John's eyes darkened at the mention of the Silurian's name and the puzzle that had been forming in his mind began to slot itself together. The time lord had wondered why Vastra hadn't known that the man outside her house was Jenny's father and he had also wondered why Mr Flint hadn't simply knocked on arriving at the house; clearly there were some underlying tensions concerning Jenny's relationship with another woman that were making their situation far more difficult than it had to be. "Mr Flint, if you don't mind me asking how much do you actually know about Vastra and her relationship with your daughter?"
"No' a lot..."
"But what specifically do you know."
"Jenny told us she an' 'er mistress were close, tha' they understood each other. She said the woman looked af'er 'er an' tha' she were good to 'er. I could tell the lass loved 'er bu' 'er mother couldn' understan' tha' an' I couldn' jus' turn against the woman I married... we aint seen Jenny since then. Mary won't see 'er again, knowin' wha' she is... I jus' want my lil lass to be 'appy."
"I see." Somehow the Doctor had hoped that Jenny's father would have been told a little more about his own daughter's situation. John Flint had managed to walk into the middle of one of the most complicated situations possible and, as far as the Doctor could tell, he had no idea of just how complicated it really was. Vastra and Jenny's lives would have been soap opera gold had they been anywhere else but in Victorian London – a crime fighting, inter-species, lesbian couple who accidentally end up expecting a child in probably the worst place possible in all of space and time. Quite frankly the Doctor thought he could travel a million years into the future, sell the story to a media franchise and make a fortune (if he cared about money he could anyway).
As the realisation that Jenny's father had probably picked the worst possible time to want to see his daughter dawned on the Doctor he began to struggle with himself, attempting to come up with some clever way of getting rid of the man. He hadn't wanted to tell Vastra in case she panicked but he was almost entirely certain that the pains Jenny had been experiencing before had been contractions. The baby was not going to wait around forever and the last thing they needed was a mixed species baby being brought into the world while it's entirely oblivious Victorian grandfather watched from the sidelines. No, the Doctor needed to get rid of him.
"Listen, John – may I call you John? – John, Jenny will be fine, we've got everything under control. Vastra's upstairs sitting with her as we speak and..." Despite the Doctor's attempts at speeding up his explanation as to why Jenny's father had to leave, he simply hadn't been quick enough. He never even got the chance to get onto the third sentence before Vastra's voice echoed down the stairs and it was like nothing the Doctor had ever heard before. Under normal circumstances Vastra was always calm and collected, she wasn't the sort to lose her composure, but the voice that called to the Doctor was broken and terrified. He knew exactly what was happening. His time was up. "Don't follow me" he said sternly and in a second he was mounting the staircase and leaping up the steps at least three at a time.
"Doctor! We need you now!"