Four men are bound back to back with rope around their waists and feet as three women take guard.
"The sergeant will be here any minute. " Vastra, "Why else would the Weeping Angels have a spy."
"April possesses a device or information from the future that could prove essential to the ancient race?" Jenny offers.
Vastra, "But a spy? It does not make sense."
Alaya, "April was pregnant. How many weeping angel victims were pregnant?"
Vastra, "No record that I can find. It is interesting. What are the reasons for a spy? To gather information or is there something more?"
Alaya, "Influence, recruitment, observation, network and control"
Jenny smiles, "That's my educated daughter."
Vastra, "What does the Weeping Angels want to influence, recruit, observe, network or control?"
Alaya, "Network is out of the question. Due to the mere fact they can't ever look at each other and their communication is exclusively telepathic."
Jenny, "Recruiting is out, they aren't able to convert."
Vastra, "So that leaves influence, observation, control and information."
One of the men in the group adds, "Profit."
The women all look to him, Vastra responds, "Thank you, profit."
Alaya wants to talk it through, "The Angels feed off the 'potential energy' of the years their victims would have lived in the present. There is no potential energy from a fetus, especially two months old. The fetus is the size of a bean, there is no potential energy, unless you count webbed feet."
Vastra and Jenny together, "Webbed feet?"
Alaya rolls her eyes, "Yes, human fetuses have webbed feet in the womb until two months. If you like that fact, how about this all fetuses are female untiltestosterone activates."
Vastra to Jenny, "Webbed feet would be useful in swimming."
Jenny to Vastra, "Someday I will allow you to teach me to swim."
Alaya, "The Weeping Angels have not shown their faces, pun intended. John is out the picture what do they do? Nothing. That doesn't make sense. Are we that good at hiding her? Do you think they are looking?"
Vastra, "I don't know." as her tongue flicks in and out of her mouth. "The Inspector is close."
13 Paternoster Row residents have slowly been building a regular schedule.
The first to rise in the morning is Jenny as her next task is to encourage Vastra to rise, always with difficulty. Mostly playfulness for a few more kisses. Eventually, both are up and dressed or not dressed, given the species, for a workout in the basement.
Jenny and Vastra leave the master suite, but only one goes to Alaya's room and knocks. Alaya pops out, dressed and raring to go. Jenny is pleased her morning genes dominated when creating Alaya, it would have been troublesome to wake up two sleepy Silurians every day.
Vastra and Jenny go down to the kitchen for their morning drink, while Alaya continues one flight up and knocks on Fiona's room. Alaya doesn't know which Fiona she will answer the door. Either a sleeping difficult to wake Fiona because she stayed up late to study or wide awake excited to start the day Fiona because she woke up early to study.
Alaya personally likes the sleeping Fiona. It takes creative tactics including hand-holding, tickling or Alaya's favorite kissing Fiona's forehead. Also, this gives Alaya a chance to measure Fiona's hair length, waiting for the length to reach that imaginary line on Fiona's neck.
Alaya hides her disappointment; this particular morning Fiona is wide awake ready to face the day.
Alaya takes Fiona's arm as they work their way down to the kitchen to have coffee. During this time, the suitors would share an in intimate conversation of their individual nights events which makes the trip down the two flights of stairs a very slow progression.
The four women work their way into the basement for the first session which is Vastra's domain. Once in awhile the sessions are cut short due to flirtations coming from an overzealous Jenny ... Alaya and Fiona quickly escape to breakfast. But, when the sessions complete the full hour all head to the kitchen for a breakfast. Breakfast preparation is shared by Jenny and Fiona. Fiona makes a full Scottish breakfast, while Jenny fixes a breakfast catering toward the Silurian appetite. Alaya has a bit of this and a bit of that, but always steals a few of Fiona's grilled mushrooms. During this time, Vastra reads newspaper current events and if time allows Jenny reads entertainment and gossip columns.
After breakfast Vastra, Alaya and Fiona return to the basement. Alaya, with supervision from Vastra, to train Fiona personal defense.
The first few weeks Fiona spent most it on her backside. Alaya would bring Fiona down with a flick of her arm, grabbing her leg or simply pushing her back. As Alaya stood ready to attack Vastra would be giving instruction, tips and encouragement to Fiona. These earlier sessions were hard on everyone, ended with Fiona crying in the corner. Alaya sat nearby reminding Fiona and herself, "it will get better". The adrenaline combined with Fiona's inner anger made her determined to succeed, but it was emotionally taxing. It all but exhausted her for the day. Rarely did she even make it past the drawing-room at which time later Alaya would grab the limp Fiona and carry her all the way to her room on the second floor.
On the fifteenth day, something changed when Alaya said, "it will get better" Fiona responded in tears, "it has." From that point on Fiona has been stronger. Alaya regularly changes things and that makes it even harder for Fiona to stay surefooted. Soon and the number of sessions ending with Fiona's backside on the padded floor became less but never entirely eliminated.
After her Alaya led sessions Fiona quickly takes a quick shower and returns to her room before Louisa would visit her for therapy. Taking any opportunity to read another chapter or a quick nap, if she landed on backside too often.
Vastra and Alaya would stay in the basement for hand to hand combat and other training. Vastra always wins, always. It must be noted that Alaya is getting better, she might not triumph over her Silurian mother but she can certainly take any human down quietly and quickly.
Alaya and Vastra then would take showers, before the hot water runs out. After which the Flint family reconvened in the drawing-room to go over the day's schedule.
The therapy sessions are difficult for Fiona. Yet as her hair was growing back so the shakes were disappearing. Louisa called her "Samson Girl" because it seems the more Fiona's hair grew the mentally stronger Fiona became. By the time Fiona's hair length touched her ears her green eyes begun to sparkle again, maybe not as bright as before, but there was a sparkle. Louisa said, "When you have your curls down you back you'll be ready to take on the world."
When Louisa left the house Fiona was so mentally drained she would go outside, no matter how cold, to find solitude. She wanted just listen to the world, birds, dogs, wind, even the neighbors quarrel ... anything to let her mind find relief from the screams bombarding her spirit. Once and only once Fiona lose herself completely, sitting in the garden wearing a wool sweater, she didn't notice how cold it has gotten. It started to snow. As each snowflake lands on her nose was an instant distraction from her anger. She pretended her anger melted away as each snowflake melted by the power of her warmth, it was in itself her personal therapy. Alaya became concerned and went to Fiona to plead her to come back into the house. It cost Alaya dearly as her cold blood slowed down so much Alaya had wasted a day in bed. It scared Fiona. Since then Fiona would monitor herself carefully and return inside within a reasonable amount of time.
After Fiona's post therapy isolation, she would gather herself and head back to her room to study. Ever since she could keep her own notes, the studying process was more efficient. The processes of information became easier and soon she was back to her own speed. If the house was empty Fiona would study in different rooms dependent which area of the human body she would study. If she focused on the respiratory system and its organs she would be in the kitchen, anything dealing with the digestive system her books would dominate the dinning room, the nervous system would be in the library, lower digestive basement, integumentary system drawing room and her bedroom the circulatory system. Since the circulatory system included the heart it would be most appropriate as it is Alaya's old bedroom.
If there was anyone in the home Fiona would share a light lunch in the kitchen, otherwise it was simply tea with bread.
After which Fiona would tackle more studying while the Flint family attend their duties until supper.
After supper Alaya and Fiona would clean the kitchen and do the dishes while Vastra and Jenny would sneak private moments by the fireplace.
It would then be supervised courting for Fiona and Alaya. It would always be a treat when April would arrive as a random person. Only Vastra knew what exact form, it became a game to guess April's disguise.
After the sunset, Fiona returns back to her room, escorted by Alaya.
The Flint Family would either depart into their own bedrooms or sleuth to the streets until midnight.
By midnight 13 Paternoster Row was still with everyone was in their bedrooms. Sleeping, maybe, but in their beds nevertheless.
Less than seven hours later it begins again with new challenges. Maybe this time Fiona will not find her backside on the floor of the padded gymnasium and Alaya best her mother Vastra.