Well here it is, the last and final chapter of this riveting romantic trilogy! Don't you fret though, because we have plans to write another series that will be a sequel to this story. Thank you to everyone who's read and quietly supported our work. You might have not left us any reviews, but we still see you guys on the reader/visitors graph!

So until next time, enjoy this chapter and please leave a review, we would love to hear from you guys! =)

(The-Fluff-Master/Pearlislove)

Monday, November 5

It's an early morning as Jenny got in her car and drove to work. The sky is filled with dark, ominous rain clouds dropping a steadily increasing stream of irritable, ice cold water droplets onto the people below. The temperature, which had been quite warm and friendly earlier, has decided to match the mood of the clouds and have dropped several degrees overnight. If Jenny had a choice, she would most definitely have chosen to stay in bed and sleep the day away. Unfortunately, it was not an option - cops never get a day off, even when the weather is horrible - and therefor she had no choice, but to continue on her way.

Glancing at the generic Scottish plaid scarf lying in the passenger's seat as she took off to the left, Jenny thought back to that Sunday morning when Vastra the veterinarian had visited her at home to 'check on Greeny' - a thin cover up for Jenny's pathetic need and desperate thirst to meet the extremely attractive veterinarian once again. And it wasn't as though she had been disappointed, either, for Vastra had been more than happy to meet up with her.

She had arrived at Jenny's place on a goddamn motorcycle, dressed in a smooth leather jacket that made Jenny feel warmer in certain areas just thinking about it, and under which she had hid the most amazing tattoos Jenny had ever seen. Jenny had almost fainted dead when Vastra then went on to show her a picture of her with a naked upper body, her huge, elaborate back tattoo on display for only her to see.

And the best of all had been the way Vastra was looking at her, deep sparkling blue eyes meeting hers and causing her to get utterly lost in them as though there was no tomorrow, and nothing else but those brilliant eyes seemed to matter at all.

Unfortunately, the wonderful meeting which had appeared capable of dragging on for hours, as none of them really wanted to leave, had been so rudely interrupted. Well, it was an important emergency because Scotland Yard suddenly decided that they didn't have enough officers working and had called Jenny - effectively putting a stop to the date-not-date that she and Vastra had been enjoying.

Likewise, it was the sound of a car honking its horn that suddenly brought Jenny out of her daydreaming, and she was forced to hit the brakes as hard as possible as she somehow found herself heading right into an intersection, completely unaware of what she was doing.

Swearing, Jenny grabbed the wheel as tightly as she could, trying to get back in control as she took off towards her destination. Instead of heading straight to Scotland Yard as she would most mornings, she was heading to the clinic where Vastra worked to drop off the forgotten plaid scarf and a - completely platonic - bouquet of 'thank you' flowers. Thankfully, the rest of the car trip went without a hitch, and after fighting to keep the daydreams at bay and cursing some more for good measure, she arrived at the Tardis Animal Clinic, stepping out of the car and grabbing the necessary items, preparing to go inside.

Walking into the waiting room, Jenny was immediately greeted by Clara and John, who were standing at the receptionist desk and talking loudly among themselves, as it would seem to be their natural behaviour.

"Yeah, my date with Danny went great. He was uhh..."Clara, the short brunette receptionist, stopped talking mid-sentence when she heard Jenny coming in through the door. Not recognizing Jenny in her uniform at first, Clara's brows became scrunched in confusion and she said, "Um, hello? Is there something I can help you with, officer…..wait, Jenny? Is that you?"

Blushing, Jenny nodded her head sharply. She had not thought of the fact that, since she was going to work, she was dressed in uniform, but Clara's comment suddenly made her acutely aware of the fact.

"Ah, um, yes. It is me. I...I was just hoping that Vastra would be here?" She tried desperately to sound cool and collected, but knew ultimately it was most likely not how she came across, especially not as her own stomach did an extra backflip just mentioning Vastra's name.

"Well, then, aren't you a sight for sore eyes,"complimented Clara who leaned forward to rest her elbows upon the receptionist desk, and cradled her chin within her hands. Her admiring eyes raked up and down Jenny's smartly practical attire from under her low fluttering lashes. "Looking rather sharp there, Officer Jenny. God, Vastra would sure love to see this, but unfortunately she's not here yet."

Clara cast a quick glance at John, the other veterinarian with the ridiculously floppy hair and a penchant for bow ties, who nodded in confirmation at her statement.

"Unfortunately, Vastra is really not here." He smiled cheekily, fiddling with something behind his back before suddenly pulling out a smart phone, and snapping a photo of Jenny before she could react. "However, it is never a wrong moment for some blackmailing material."

Blinking rapidly to clear her vision, Jenny was confused and not quite sure what just happened. Still, she smiled half-heartedly, her tone a bit uncertain when she said, "I suppose...but, uh, I was meaning to leave some things for Vastra so….can I leave them with you guys instead?" She smiled sheepishly, again, and felt a bad feeling in her guts as she was quite certain Vastra was not going to be happy with the so called 'blackmail material' that John had gotten hold of.

That seemed to pique Clara's interest, who hummed curiously, "Hmmm, that would really depend on what sort of things you're planning on leaving for Vastra."

"Yes, exactly. It is not as though we can't protect big packages or boxes of things, and guarantee they'll get to Vastra unop...uh, unharmed. Not when Strax is around." John smile innocently, playing with his hair that was hanging down over his eyes.

Jenny gave him and Clara a suspicious look, but finally sighed and said, "She left her scarf at my apartment on Sunday, and I also got some flowers as a thank you…..for everything she's done to help Greeny. Can you please give these to Vastra?"

Both John and Clara simultaneously gasped, looking at each other before suddenly turning their attention back onto Jenny with shocked expressions on their faces.

"Vastra McIntosh...left her scarf, the one that her mother made….at your apartment?" Exclaimed Clara in utter disbelief, knowing that Vastra's scarf was something truly sacred to her.

"She never leaves it anywhere!" The Doctor butted in, feeling it necessary to point out the obvious facts that Clara had already stated. After all, it was not like Vastra to be so careless as to forget her scarf at someone's home.

Jenny smirked, a wicked idea suddenly lighting in her mind, and she fought hard to stifle a bout of laughter. Trying to look as neutrally innocent as possible, she spoke,"Yes, she accidentally left it at my apartment after she had to remove it...and some other clothes. Too many layers is not really necessary for a visit like the one she had with me." She even winked to emphasize the genuinity of her testimony.

edge of the desk, lest he should outright faint. The revelation that Jenny had just described struck them hard like a runaway train; Was she trying to mess with them, or is she actually telling the truth? If that was the case, then Vastra certainly didn't say anything about it when the three of them met up together at a club for drinks on Sunday night. Despite all their constant merciless teasing of Vastra, this was simply too much information for them to handle.

"Jesus Christ….Oh my God," were the only words that Clara was able to produce in her bewildered state.

John, still tomato red in the face, stayed speechless and said nothing. There was simply no words for him to express the mortification and embarrassment he was experiencing over the mere idea of what Jenny might have been doing with Vastra. Vastra was his friend , for God's sake, and that definitely was not an image he wanted to get stuck inside his head.

Jenny, on the other hand, kept smiling pleasantly, very carefully measuring her next words. "What? I haven't said anything wrong , have I?" Jenny felt extremely amused, but didn't want to let it on. She was playing this game until the end. "Anyway, can you take the scarf and flowers and give them to her?"

"Just...just,"John coughed awkwardly, gesturing at the entranceway located on the left side of the room, "Just leave them in Vastra's office, yes? I'm sure she will appreciate to know that you've returned her scarf, and brought her a little gift."

Jenny nodded thankfully, giving them a small bow of her head before walking off towards her destination. Luckily, she remembered the way to Vastra's office on her own, and did not have to ask for directions or for either John, or Clara to accompany her, which would have been very awkward seeing as she started laughing the moment she rounded the corner.

Finishing her laughing fit, she determinedly set off once more, walking down the hall and moving quietly as to not attract attention. She had only ever met Vastra, Clara, John and Strax, but was unsure if more people worked at the clinic, and would rather not be questioned on what she was doing there.

"Halt! Tell me who you are and what you are doing here!" As soon as he spotted her, Strax held out a hand in front of him as a sign for her to stop.

"I am Jenny. I was here with my lizard a while ago. I just want to go into Vastra's office and leave some things for her there." She kept smiling, showing Strax the scarf and the flowers in hopes that it would convince him of her innocent and non-threatening intentions.

Unfortunately, Strax did not seem to believe her, for he crossed his arms across his chest and shook his head."I cannot let you in. I am under strict orders not to let anyone into Madame Vastra's office." He gave her an angry glare, and she respectfully stepped back a few paces.

Sighing, Jenny turned away and began to rummage around in her pockets, hoping that maybe she could find something to appease the angered potato , all she found were some lemon and caramel gobstoppers that she kept handy for children involved in crime scenes. Sighing again, she decided it was better than nothing.

Turning back to Strax, who still looked positively furious, she offered him the candy. "Can you let me in now , please?" She asked again rather sweetly, not acknowledging the fact that she was sticking four gobstoppers right under his nose.

The man looked at her suspiciously, before quickly grabbing the gobstoppers and stepping to the side. "Fine." He relented begrudgingly, though stepping aside with a considerably softer expression on his face.

Jenny smiled. "Thank you."

Going inside the office, Jenny quickly scanned around the room - a little more spacious than she remembered it but not less messy - her line of vision falling pon Vastra's desk and she made her way across the room to it.

Once there, she carefully put down the bouquet of flowers and the card belonging to it, as well as the scarf. But before she could let go of the scarf, she acted on instinct and brought it up to her nose instead. Taking a deep breath, she inhaled the reassuring smell of wool and something that she could only define as being distinctly Vastra , consisting of salt, coffee, and nature. It was a mixture of comfort and protection made into an irresistible aroma that resonated perfectly with Vastra's persona.

When she put the scarf back, she was very careful to make sure that both gifts would be visible enough so that Vastra would see them as soon as she entered the room. Afterward, she couldn't help but allow her fingers to glide tentatively along the edge of the elegant, dark wooden desk as if it was a divinely sacred relic. Jenny could almost imagine Vastra sitting on the other side in the large black leather chair, her tall form hunched over as she diligently worked away writing on a document and whatnot. The image of it was so remarkably vivid in front of Jenny's eyes, that she barely resisted the urge to reach out and touch it.

She was almost at the end of the desk, when her fingers came upon a metallic frame. Inside the frame, there was a photo of six young, dark haired girls, a redheaded boy, and an equally dark haired but older man. They were all situated in a vast field, having a picnic and drinking lemonade. Two of the younger girls in the group, perhaps only a few years apart in age, had lemonade shooting out of their noses, seemingly raining down on top of the older man while the other siblings laughed hysterically.

Seeing the photo, Jenny could feel her lips quirking upwards, a warm feeling spreading throughout her chest. It was such a honest display of family affection, for Vastra to have a photo of them sitting in her office. It showed a sort of bond to her siblings and parents, that Jenny already knew she had, and couldn't help but feel jealous of it. Just like when she'd heard Vastra talking to her sister on the phone earlier, an intense feeling of envy and unhappiness soon settled heavily upon Jenny's chest, reminding her that no matter how much she wished for it, she would never have a family like Vastra's.

At home, Jenny had used to have a similar photo of her and her seven siblings, but she had quickly resolved to hide it in the back of the cleaning cupboard, as she found it much too painful to look at. It reminded her of a happier, peaceful time when everything had been alright and the world wasn't as terribly cruel as when she had to struggle for survival every single day.

Things change when you grow older, she supposed.

Trying to shake herself loose of the pain and resentment creeping into her heart, and knowing that she should leave as soon as she could, Jenny immediately turned around and went for the door. However, she only came halfway to said door when she found herself stopping for some unknown reason, as if there was an invisible force holding her back.

In her mind, she could see Vastra's hand gently reaching out to touch her own, a sensation like electricity shooting up her arm and making it tingle. Slowly, she lifted her hand to her chin; She could still remember the feeling of Vastra's slightly moist lips against her skin, the mere memory of it awakening an untamable sense of pure want and….something more , within her.

The short little kiss Vastra granted her before leaving yesterday had not been nearly long enough to satisfy the burning desire inside her, and she longed to kiss her back, but on the lips instead of the forehead . A proper kiss, admitting everything she felt without saying a word.

As she once more started moving towards the door, Jenny briefly considered what would have happened, had Vastra actually been in her office. Would Jenny have the nerves to face Vastra after everything that had happened on Sunday? Would she even have dared going so far as to kiss her, knowing very well that she desperately wanted to?

She didn't know, and would never know, but with these thoughts - mixed with the lingering recollection of Vastra's lips against her skin - swirling in her head, she finally left Vastra's office and walked back out into the corridor.

As she came to the reception, she saw that Clara and John were still standing by the desk, whispering hurriedly among themselves. Putting on a victorious grin, Jenny decided to say goodbye.

"I am going now. It has been a pleasure meeting you, and please tell Vastra I came by." Jenny called, keeping up her facade as she waved her hand at the two of them.

"Jesus….that girl's definitely got some serious game," remarked Clara, sounding genuinely impressed as she watched Jenny go in awe. Then swiftly turning around to face John, she asked him, "Do you think she was being serious though? I mean, we've both seen how Vastra was pining over her like a lost lovesick puppy dog all last week. I just didn't expect her to have the guts to make a move so soon."

"Maybe she didn't make the move? If Vastra gave her number to her, then maybe Jenny made a move." John suggested, trying not to blush too much. "You know, it'd be more likely I think."

Clara snorted and playfully punched him on the arm, saying, "I've never seen a grown man who blush as much you do, Johnny Boy! Anyway, I'm honestly happy that Vastra was able to get laid…." She picked up her phone from where it laid on the desk and began to check her messages, before grumbling irritably, "Meanwhile, I can't even get a guy to respond back to my text!"

Once out in the parking lot, Jenny was quick to get into her car. She had already spent more time than she could afford at the clinic, most of it not even having been used for anything useful. It felt like she'd been there for hours, standing in Vastra's office, pinning and dreaming of impossibly greater things than what Vastra had already given her.

As she started backing out of the parking lot, Jenny snapped herself from her thoughts, immediately redirecting her focus to the rear view mirror. At first, the road had seemed empty, but as soon as she actually started to back out into it, she saw a motorcycle driving down the road towards the clinic. It wasn't that unusual or suspicious, of course, but once Jenny caught sight of the colourful helmet with its crest-like formation on the top, it felt as though all of the air had left her lungs.

It was Vastra, Jenny was sure of it. No one else has such a distinct and absolutely atrocious design on their motorbike helmet. Nobody else would even consider the possibility, nobody but her Vastra.

Seeing that Vastra was coming rapidly closer, and realizing that she had just mentally referred to Vastra as hers , the sudden panic seizing Jenny seemed to increase tenfold and as soon as she was out in the street, she hit the gas as hard as she could, accidentally turning on the police sirens in the process as she drove away at top speed like a cowardly chicken.

By that time, the light drizzling of the weather had subsequently escalated to an even more heavy downpour of near Biblical proportions. Vastra didn't pay the rain any attention though, bringing her motorcycle to a stop in front of the clinic and removing her helmet to reveal the utterly baffled expression on her face as she witnessed Jenny's police car haphazardly shooting down the street with all sirens blazing. She remained standing there, stunned, for several minutes before the fact that her clothes were getting thoroughly drenched in the rain finally caught up with her, and she angrily cursed at the sky while trying to find her umbrella. After gathering her stuff, Vastra rushed as fast as she could to get into the clinic and out of the wretched rainstorm.

Vastra continued to swear under her breath when she entered the clinic, closing her umbrella as her entire body shivered profusely due the chilling wetness that was starting to creep into her skin and hair. Flipping off a stray strand of wet hair from her face, Vastra attempted to wipe away the blinding sheen of precipitation on her glasses in order to glance around the reception room. The ceiling lights flashed rapidly above her, just like they did whenever there was a storm raging outside, and the only person that she could see to be present in the room was Clara, who had lifted both of her feet up on the table as she intently read her Jane Austen novel, completely oblivious to Vastra's presence. John, however, was nowhere to be found, which was rather odd considering that he and Clara were usually joined at the hip during this hour when they have no customers. Suddenly, Vastra's hair stood up on the back of her neck, partly due to the cold, but also because she could sense that something was amiss in the clinic, yet she didn't know exactly what it was.

"Where's John?" Inquired Vastra gingerly, as she began to approach Clara's desk.

"Mmm, probably hiding in a corner somewhere after I made fun of him for blushing…. again . You know how he can be,"Clara replied casually without looking up from her book. She eventually opted to study Vastra discreetly from over the top edge of her book, a mischievous smile curling on her lips as she added, "You're looking wet this morning."

Vastra tilted her head slightly to the side, seemingly clueless regarding the underlying meaning of Clara's words, though that did not prevent her from flicking some water at Clara, causing the brunette to cry out in protest.

Vastra had her laugh at Clara's expense before speaking again in a more serious tone, "Bloody fucking rain….hell, what I wouldn't give for a summer vacation in a remote tropical paradise far away from this sad hunk of rock."

"Yeah, sure, and I bet you would want to see Jenny wearing a bikini too," mumbled Clara to herself, thinking she wouldn't be heard by anyone.

"Pardon?" Curse Vastra and her absurdly superhuman sense of hearing!

Clara used her book as a shield to cover the embarrassment on her face and tried to shrug it off saying, "Nothing! I was just uhh reading my novel….by Jane Austen. Yup, love her work, I also heard that she was quite a phenomenal kisser."

"You said something about Jenny ,"Vastra persisted, in spite of Clara's rambling attempts to dismiss the subject. "Jenny….Jenny Flint, was she here today by any chance?"

Something resembling mild pity quickly flitted across Clara's face, as the way Vastra spoke Jenny's name with such profoundly unconditional affection and the excited eagerness that lit up in her eyes, told her that Vastra was too far gone down the rabbit hole at this point.

Clara reluctantly closed her book upon her lap, and gave Vastra the most genial smile she could manage as she answered with, "Oh, Jenny? Yeah, she did came in here earlier, now that you've mentioned it. She was looking for you, and not because she needed her lizard checked out." Clara's smile broadened and she had to bite the inside of her cheek to prevent herself from laughing, when she saw the Scottish woman's face blooming crimson.

Vastra absolutely could not believe what she was hearing; Jenny, out of all people, was looking for her, and just the mere thought of it was enough to make her heart race within her chest.

Staring at Clara as if she had grown two heads, Vastra shakily asked, "W-Why would Jenny have been looking for me?"

"She wanted to show you her gratitude by bringing you a whole bouquet of flowers. Super romantic, in my opinion," Clara responded truthfully, giggling a little when Vastra shot her a rather unamused look. "Jenny was also kind enough to return your scarf….you know, the one that you left at her apartment. I am just exceedingly curious as to what you were doing there in the first place." Clara had to admit that she enjoyed watching Vastra squirm and splutter under her penetrating gaze a bit too much.

Vastra, on the other hand, was growing increasingly uncomfortable by the second due to Clara's thinly veiled interrogation. It was clear that the wonderfully enchanting afternoon Vatra had spent with Jenny at her home has now come back to unexpectedly bite her in the rear. She mentally reprimanded herself for forgetting her scarf at Jenny's apartment, thus leaving physical evidence of her visit there; If only she hadn't been so careless, then Jenny wouldn't have come to the clinic and she would be spared the total embarrassment of never hearing the end of it from her fellow co-workers. A part of Vastra felt slightly guilty for treating Jenny like she was her dirty little secret, even though the two of them haven't done anything serious, but she simply could not trust Clara and John to understand that. Regardless of all that, however, Vastra could still feel butterflies fluttering in her stomach and a warm, peaceful sensation washing over her with the knowledge that Jenny had cared enough to personally return her scarf. Yet, she couldn't decide if she was relieved or disappointed, that she wasn't there when it happened.

Probably both, most likely.

"I swear, you and John are equally the worse when it comes to blindly assuming things that aren't true," spoke Vastra scornfully, her eyes narrowing into daggers at Clara. Her entire demeanor served as a warning sign to indicate that she was in no such mood to tolerate any sort of tomfoolery from Clara and John. "I was only at Je- Miss Flint's -residence because she called me to come and tend to her pet lizard. It was, and I highly stress , strictly for professional business purposes, nothing more than that. God forbid, that I accidentally left my goddamn scarf at her apartment and cause such a big goddamn scandal because of it!" Realizing that she was on the verge of losing herself to her fiery temper, Vastra then paused to regain her composure before curtly resuming with, "Hopefully, that is a sufficient enough answer to satisfy your overwhelming curiosity. Now if you'll please excuse me, Miss Oswald, I have to get ready for work in my office."

Therefor, Vastra wasted no time in sharply turning around on her heels to exit the reception room in a huff, leaving a completely stunned and shaken Clara staring in her wake.

It took a while for Clara's brain to fully register what had just happened. She instantly picked up her novel again while muttering derisively, "If only Jenny really did got her laid...then she would have been able to fuck some better mood into her, at least.

Vastra knew that she might have went a little too far snapping at Clara like that, though in her defense it, wasn't Clara's business to be prying into her personal life anyway. No matter what Clara and John want to believe, her relationship with Jenny is purely platonic in every sense of the word, even if they can't accept it. Vastra was absolutely through with playing their silly games, and desired nothing else, but to reach the considerable safety of her office without being confronted by either John, or Strax.

"Um, excuse me, Vastra?" Suddenly, Vastra could feel a finger tapping on her shoulder, and as she turned around, she could see John standing behind her.

"John, if what you're about to say has anything to do with Miss Flint, I'm going to fucking stab you with this umbrella," growled Vastra as she threateningly pointed the tip of her umbrella at John. One would have to be a completely brainless idiot to think that she was remotely kidding about it.

Being scared and blushing just a bit -because of course he couldn't help but blush at the very mention of Jenny - John put up his hands in front of him in defense. "I wasn't! Uh...well, maybe I was." He paused, frowning. "If you don't want us snooping around, then don't have your girlfriends come in here with flowers and personal items! Do you have any idea what she told us about your little meeting on Sunday?"

"Girlfriend?! Ha….I do believe that stupid bow tie of yours is constricting the flow of oxygen to your brain!" Vastra scoffed bitterly in retaliation, her mouth twisted into a sinister snarl."Or perhaps it's River's thighs that are squeezing the brains out of your head. You got a lot of nerve to be accusing me of mixing business with pleasure, Mr . Smith !"

When push comes to shove, Vastra could be the most ruthlessly heartless person on the entire planet, and she would not hesitate to use every single one of a person's weaknesses in order to beat them down into submission.

John, definitely taken aback by the mention of his and River's relationship, blushed even more than ever before, but at the same time it seemed as though there was an inkling of resolve growing inside him now. "In that case, Vastra dear, I suggest you better talk to Jenny! Because when she was here, Miss Flint quite clearly implied that you and her engaged in some….clothless activities, causing you to leave the scarf behind."

'Clothless activities' seemed to be the key phrase that transformed Vastra's initial fury, into profound perplexity. "She…implied... what ?!"

Though John seemed a little perplexed, too, by Vastra's reaction, he quickly nodded and continued to speak. "Yes. She said, and I quote, 'too many layers is not really necessary for a visit like the one she had with me'." He swallowed, feeling more than slightly awkward to be saying the thing he was about to say to Vastra. "She basically told us the two of you had... sex. "

"She and I….had sex? " Vastra's brows furrowed deeper, struggling to decipher the context behind John's words, which led her to lash out in denial at first. " No . No, it can't possibly be true….you're lying!"

Vastra's hand instinctively tightened its iron grip around the handle of her umbrella, an indication that she was severely close to going over the edge in that moment.

Suddenly terrified, John hastily held up his hands in surrender. "I'm not saying you did anything! I am telling you what she said!" He stepped back two steps, creating a little more distance between him and Vastra. "It is not my fault."

"You bloody lanky, dim-witted, insufferable twat! That's not what I meant!" Shouted Vastra, unable to contain all of her simmering rage and frustration for any longer. However, just as quickly as she had exploded, she also became placated within seconds, before looking at John dead right in the eyes and spoke, "You're lying, she never said any of that, and you know why? It's because she….she doesn't….like me, in that way."

A bitterly pungent taste filled Vastra's mouth with each and every word that she uttered, as she bowed her head to stare forlornly at the floor while avoiding John's gaze. She simply couldn't bear to look at him anymore, registering everything he said about Jenny as some sort of cruel and mocking joke. She felt as though she was losing her mind, overcome with paranoia, rampant emotions, and suddenly mistrustful of all her friends no matter how well-meaning their intentions; And all because she had the tragic misfortune of falling in love with a girl who she can never have. The heartache that resonated within her chest was one of truly tremendous proportion, only comparable to when her father died of cancer. Needless to say, Vastra's harshly offensive exterior instantly melted away in that moment, leaving her looking like a small vulnerable child which made John yearn for her with pity.

"Look...Vastra...please…" John didn't know what to say. All those emotions, all that hurt , it was more than he'd ever expected from Vastra. In his mind, Vastra was made up almost entirely of witty comments, faux distaste, and not so subtle gayness. Always seemingly angry, but never really meaning it. Those emotions, however, was nothing compared to what he now saw before him, and he struggled to try and piece everything together. Slowly, he stepped forward, reaching out and carefully placing his hand on Vastra's arm. "I was teasing before, but she really did say those things. That you spent the night together and all that. And whether it was true or not, she came here with not only your scarf, but thank you flowers, going out of her way to drop them off before work."

"Flowers?" Vastra's head snapped up when he mentioned the flowers, something resembling hopefulness glimmering in her eyes before she shook her head indignantly. "No...No, that can't possibly mean anything other than an innocent gesture of gratitude. Jenny is the type of girl who would do that simply because she's sweet, and kind, and thoughtful."There was a momentary pause as the corner of Vastra's mouth twitched slightly to form a small, adoring smile at her mental description of Jenny. "I understand that you're just trying to help me, John, but you're reading too much into this."

Vastra did have valid reasons to believe this, since she knew John well enough as the romantic idealist that he was, always choosing to see the best in everything even in the darkest of times. Vastra herself was a staunch realist, with an adequate amount of pessimism to boot, and would often serve as the counterbalance to John's lofty idealistic ideology. Therefore, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the two of them would be on completely different sides of this current situation.

"Vastra, please listen…" Intentionally, John made sure his voice was soft and honest, hoping it would finally convince Vastra to trust him with what he was saying. It was not as though he found it surprising that Vastra did not trust his word, she very rarely did, but this time he really wanted her to know that what he said he meant, and it was completely honest. "Because as much as I love teasing you about this sort of thing, I care about you and your happiness. You got something really good going with this Jenny girl, and I don't want you to lose it all because you can't bring yourself to realise that you got a value to others, especially to people who love you." Holding on tightly to Vastra's arm, John looked her deep in the eyes, trying in every possible way convey his message.

Piece by piece, Vastra could feel the defensive walls of cynicism that she have built around herself being torn down at the sight of John's pleading brown eyes, which were a lot less endearing than Jenny's, but still full of true honest to God earnesty and tenderness.

"Because everyone wants you for who you are. You just don't see it, though I can't understand how. You're great at your job, a better friend than anyone deserves and I swear to god you would make the best partner if you'd just let someone date you!" He smiled fondly, hoping internally that Vastra wasn't going to hold this over his head next time he tried to tease her about something - and that she wouldn't text River. She would never let him live down what he just told Vastra."You are an amazing, inspirational, attractive woman and those who don't like you can go to hell because they are wrong ."

At last, that was all the reassurance that Vastra needed to hear as her crystal blue eyes became glazed with unshed tears. Then in a very uncharacteristic move, Vastra suddenly dropped her umbrella to the floor and stepped forward to pull John into a tightly heartfelt hug; John was surprised by that at first, but eventually regained his composure and returned the embrace nonetheless, seemingly pleased that his words were able to get through to Vastra's heart. John Smith has been Vastra's closest friend ever since they attended veterinary school together, and was the one who had helped her to establish a career down here in London, so far away from her home and family. They've been mainly inseparable throughout the past five years that they've been together, and he was the only person that Vastra would always turn to with her problems because there was nobody else that she trusted more than him. A sensation of guilt now washed over Vastra, for she knew deep down inside her, that never in a billion years would John ever lie to her, or lead her astray. It meant everything to her that despite all the childish teasing and bickering, John was genuinely supportive of her budding romance with Jenny, even if she still wasn't 100% confident that it could happen.

After several peaceful minutes of hugging in the hallway, Vastra finally pulled away, and was about to say something to John when another familiar voice broke the silence.

"John, you're needed here up front asap! Mrs. Wellington just brought in her cat who is about to give birth!" Clara called loudly from the reception room.

Eyes widening in panic, John only allowed himself time to give Vastra sheepish grin and winked, before running off, already telling Clara to prepare a room and bring out warm towels for them to wrap the kittens in.

Vastra, however, stood there for a while longer, not paying mind to the fact that she was still dripping wet and freezing from the rain as John's word's of wisdom continued to ring within her ears. Eventually, she remembered that she should probably get ready for work and bent down to pick up her umbrella, before walking towards her office again. Although she was momentarily surprised to see Strax huddled in a corner as he happily ate the candy that Jenny had given him, Vastra was able to reach into her coat pocket and take out a key which she used to unlock her office door.

Once she opened the door and stepped into her office, she couldn't help but involuntarily release a soft gasp as all the hair on her neck and arms instantly stood up as if detecting a peculiar, yet strangely pleasant change in the atmosphere. The particles in the air felt different somehow, and there seemed to be an invisible yet still noticeably present thrumming of electricity spread throughout the room. It was in that moment that Vastra was hit full on with the revelation that Jenny Flint, her fucking crush, had been inside that very same room not long ago and just the mere thought of it was making her head spin like crazy. A million 'what if' scenarios were rapidly springing out of her mind; What would have happened if Vastra was here when Jenny came in? Would she have been able to keep her cool around Jenny? Would her heart get stuck in her throat like it always does? Would she have been sweating buckets due to Jenny's super hot presence? Would she have been blinded by Jenny's stunningly radiant beauty? Would she have made a complete fool of herself in front of Jenny? Would she have broken broken down and frantically confess her feelings for Jenny? Would she even have the courage to actually kiss Jenny?

Perhaps kissing Jenny is the only way that she could gain closure, with the chances of Jenny kissing her back,since she is definitely gay, being far outnumbered by the possibility of rejection.

For better or worse, Vastra desperately wanted answers in regards to what John had told her earlier, about Jenny liking her as more than a veterinarian who took care of her pet lizard. Unwilling to wait any longer, Vastra then unceremoniously dropped all her stuff onto the floor and quickly walked over to her wooden desk, where she caught of sight of the flowers and scarf that Jenny had left. Now standing in front of her desk, Vastra tentatively picked up her faded wool plaid scarf, one of the few mementos that she possessed that is connected to her mother and family. She would have been most deeply hurt if she ever lost her scarf, because it's simply too important to her, and this alone caused tears to well up in her eyes as she was tremendously grateful towards Jenny for returning it to her. Vastra's attention soon fell upon the bouquet of flowers that Jenny had placed alongside the scarf, which she then put aside in order to examine them more closely. The bouquet was larger than anything she had expected to find, with an impressively diverse arrangement that included violets, white lilies, red roses, ambrosia, pink camellia, pink carnations, gardenia, and tulips;They were all neatly wrapped in purple paper and tied together with a shiny green satin ribbon. Vastra couldn't remember the last time that anyone had brought her such a wonderfully thoughtful gift, and she could feel herself falling harder for Jenny if that was even possible. She reached out to gently run her fingers across the vastly colorful collection of flowers and her heart literally skipped a beat when she touched upon something hidden within them. Brows furrowing in slight perplexity, Vastra noticed that it was actually a little card and immediately removed it from the bouquet.

Vastra could only stare nervously at the card in her hands, until her curiosity got the better of her, and she finally opened it to reveal the content written inside.

Dear Vastra

You forgot your scarf at my apartment this past Sunday. Since I do not know where you live yet, I brought it to your workplace along with some flowers as a 'thank you'. I had the greatest time spending my free morning with you and I wish it could have lasted longer - though the short time we spent together still felt like an eternity to me. I very much hope we can see each other again sometime soon on another day. If you could call me or text me whenever it's convenient for you, we can surely decide something together, and have a marvelous time once more.

Yours sincerely, Jenny Flint xo

After reading the card's entire message, Vastra felt both of her legs threatening to buckle from underneath her and had to grip firmly onto the edge of the desk with her hands in order to keep herself standing upright.

As short as Jenny's letter may have been, it was nonetheless successful in striking a truly powerful impact upon Vastra. Completely shocked by what she just read, Vastra then proceeded to fastidiously re-read the card about a dozen more times to make sure she wasn't hallucinating or something.

Once her initial confusion had passed, Vastra's free hand instantly flew to cover her mouth as her bottom lip began to quiver and fresh tears sprung into her eyes, an overwhelming surge of emotions resonating throughout her entire body and soul. Her hand that was holding the card trembled uncontrollably and she found it increasingly difficult to breath, knowing from Jenny's writing that she had seemingly enjoyed their Sunday meeting as much as Vastra had herself. Additionally, the fact that Jenny genuinely wanted to see her again outside the clinic was the final blow that demolished every single last pillar of doubt that still stood in Vastra's mind regarding her romantic feelings being reciprocated by Jenny.

The heavy lead of woesome despair was lifted from her long-suffering heart, which immediately became filled to the brim with new hope and optimism. John might be right about Vastra and Jenny being on the very verge of something utterly spectacular together, and she was now eager to explore that possibility. Yet at the same time, all of this appeared much too good to be true, and she was afraid that she would wake up any second to find that it had only been a dream; It's not everyday that the girl you like- love -brings you flowers and write a note essentially asking you out on a date so that they can get to know you better. Ever since they first met here at clinic when Jenny came in with Greeny the lizard, Vastra couldn't stop fantasizing about what it would be like in a relationship with Jenny as her girlfriend, to love and hold her for the rest of their lives.

She felt weak, pathetic, and delusional for allowing herself to be seduced by Jenny's sweet charms and majestic beauty, when she knew very well it could put everything into jeopardy. Vastra really believed that she was trapped to spend the remainder of her life being relentlessly tortured by the memory of Jenny, who she could never have no matter how much she longed for her. Walking into the clinic today, listening to John's passionately inspirational speech, finding the flowers and reading the personal card message from Jenny, completely changed all of that for Vastra so that she could finally see the light shining through the storm raging within her head.

Realizing that she could not afford to waste anymore time, Vastra took the final leap of faith and quickly pulled out her phone to dial Jenny's number.

Hearing her phone ringing, Jenny quickly pulled it out of her pocket, and was just about to answer, when she caught sight of the caller ID : Vastra . It was as though everything in her head just came to a sudden, absolute stop. She couldn't think or do anything as she just stared at the caller ID. Finally, her brain rebooted and she realised she had been waiting far too long to answer. So, with a final gulp, she pressed the answer button and put the phone to her ear.

"Jenny speaking. How are you, Vastra?"

"Hello there, Jenny," Vastra began carefully, mentally building up the courage to ask Jenny the important question at the tip of her tongue. "I'm good, thank you, and I really appreciate you returning my scarf. The flowers are lovely and….I would love to talk with you again over coffee. There's a nice little cafe I know nearby the clinic, if you want to go."

Hearing Vastra's voice, Jenny couldn't help but smile, enjoying the sound of it immensely. "Oh, that sounds lovely. I would love to. When were you thinking?"

It required every ounce of self control Vastra possessed in order to prevent herself from physically jumping into the air with joy at Jenny's answer. "Whenever works best for you, my dear."

Pondering Vastra's suggestion, she looked at the clock, calculating how much longer she had to stay at work. "I get off at four. See you half-past at the clinic?"

Vastra smiled with the knowledge that nothing will ever be the same after this, and replied, "Perfect, I'll be looking forward to it."

Finally, after all this time of uncertainty and confusion, the stars are now aligning in their favor to determine the course of their future destiny.

The End