Monday morning she nervously and as slowly as possible made her way through the side garage door of Sandor's house. Sansa walked across the garage noting that Sandor's tools were laid out and the light was on, the door to the walk out basement that made up her office was already unlocked and slightly open, to her surpise. Taking a deep breath she opened the door the rest of the way and walked in.

"You are up early." she said, doing her best not to blush and keep her voice steady.

Sandor was never up when she arrived, but here he was, on the day she was most nervous to see him, leaning against the counter by the coffee machine in a navy blue mechanics jumpsuit, sleeves rolled up, his forearms thick and hairy as he lifted the coffee cup to his lips.

Sandor shrugged, "Got things to do, fucked up clocking out early Friday and then I had to visit a friend over the weekend, didn't have time to make it up."

Sansa nodded placing her purse on her desk and moving next to him to get a cup of coffee, happy to note that Sandor made enough for both of them.

"What's with the outfit?" she gestured at the jumpsuit.

"Messy fucking day today." he scratched his chin and looked down at her. "Stacy is coming for her keys today and she's pissed so beware." he laughed a little.

"So you fixed her car?" she tried to ask casually.

"Nope, that's why she's pissed and she had to wait all weekend to get her keys, cause I wasn't here."

"Ok," she didn't want to feel as happy at the news as she did. "What happened?"

"This is a business now right? It's not just me fucking around so we'll do it right." he shrugged.

Sansa wanted to make the argument that he should want to tell Stacy to fuck off for himself more than the business but she held her tongue

"I'm off, she should be here in an hour or so." Sandor was out the door a second later.

Sansa sat down at her desk with her coffee in hand and tried to work out if she was relieved or disappointed that Sandor didn't remember kissing her.

She had spent all weekend stressing over it, stressing over seeing him and wondering what he could have meant by "I always wanted to to that" Always? What did always mean? Was he attracted to her? How did that make her feel? She had tried to push it out of her mind because he was drunk and had thought for a second she had succeeded. That was until he acted like it never happened.

XXXX

Sansa was at the filing cabinet putting away work orders when the door was practically slammed open.

"Where are my keys?" Stacy had her arms crossed over her chest a scowl over her face.

Sansa took a deep breath, "Sure let me get them." she grabbed the keys from the lanyard around her neck. She ignored Stacy impatiently tapping her foot as she went into the safe that held their clients keys. She quickly found the set, a little white tag with Stacy written in Sandor's large blocky scrawl was looped through the key chain. She tore the tag off.

She tried to smile as she handed the keys over, "Here you go."

Stacy didn't take the keys right away, instead she looked Sansa up and down. "You're the one who told him to drop our deal ain't ya." her crimson lips curled in distaste.

"Sandor makes his own decision." Sansa answered coldly.

"Yeah but you were there whispering in his ear." she yanked the keys out of her hand. "I never lied to him, don't you dare judge me."

"He deserves better than that." Sansa held up her head, she wouldn't let this woman intimidate her.

"What the hell would you know about it princess? Is that a Coach bag I see over there?" She huffed in disgust. "Do you even know what it's like to scrape by?" Stacy walked right up to her, "If I gotta spend a few minutes on my back to save money to feed my kids, you can be damn sure I ain't gonna let a prissy bitch like you make me feel bad about it. He had a good time, maybe you should try it. Might get that stick out of your ass."

"That's enough Stacy." Sandor's gravelly voice cut across the room. Sansa hadn't even noticed when he walked in.

Stacy looked Sansa up and down one last time before turning on her heel and stomping up to Sandor. "Don't bother me again."

"Never do." Sandor tilted his head. "Wont start now."

"Good." Stacy huffed and walked out.

Sandor sighed and walked over the the coffee machine for his second cup of the morning. "She's right you know. She does what she has to."

"I thought you said she was a bitch?" Sansa raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh she is, she is a grade A bitch and a whore but she does what she has to. I hear she's good to her kids, that's better than most."

"Why did you turn her away then?" Sansa was a little embarrassed by the situation.

"Talked to Elder Brother," Sandor answered her but he was staring off out the garage door deep in thought. "This business is a new start, something better."

"Elder Brother?"

Sandor turned to look at her blinking in confusion, "Elder Brother," he repeated.

"You said you talked to Elder Brother." Sansa wasn't sure how much she should push.

"My therapist." Sandor looked down at his coffee, much calmer than she had ever seen him. "Been there for me since this." he gestured to his mangled face. "keeps me sane, called him when Friday night when I woke up drunk off my for locking up and everything.

Sansa smiled, she had removed his shoes and covered him with a blanket too. "No problem."

"I kissed you." Sansa's eyes widened in surprise, her head jerking up to look at the big man standing across the room from her.

Sandor's eye was boring into her, "You didn't slap me." he noted.

"No," Sansa agreed. "I didn't."

"I won't do it again."

Sansa bit her lip, his words felt like a bucket of ice water. "I was drunk, shouldn't have done that."

Sansa nodded forcing down the inexplicable feeling of disappointment in her gut.

"If you want to kiss, you'll have to make the move next time…sober."

"What?" Sansa's eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

"You heard me Little Bird." he nodded at her and left.

Nothing was different for the rest of the day, Sandor came in and out of the office as like any other day, to any outsider it would look like business as usual, except inside Sansa's head was a tornado of thoughts and emotions. She fought to keep her cool like Sandor.

XXXXXXXXX

"I told her what you said." Sandor sat down on his couch his phone in one hand and a Coke in the other. A simple Coke with no liquor in it whatsoever.

"Did you?" Elder Brother's voice sounded slightly amused.

"Yeah, said I was sorry…sort of….thanked her, and told her the ball was in her court." he grumbled.

"What did she say?"

"Nothing," Sandor snapped. "She looked at me like I was a fucking idiot."

Elder Brother chuckled, "What happened then?"

"I already told you, nothing, same as always, day like any other fucking day."

"So she didn't treat you badly?"

"No."

"She didn't yell at you for kissing her?"

"No, didn't even bring it up. I brought it up."

"And she didn't say no? Didn't tell you she wasn't interested?"

"No but she didn't say she fucking was either. She's just being nice. I told you she dates pretty boys like that cunt I used to work for."

"You'd might be surprised, Sandor. She gave you a chance on this business, THE HOUND you said you named it?"

"Yeah."

"She gave The Hound a chance. Not many young women in her position would bother. Give it some time, she may need to realize that you two could be something more."

"You are out of you mind old man. She'll be introducing me to her new rich asshole boyfriend soon."

"Maybe, but Sandor remember she gave you a chance, her father gave you a chance, even if it comes to nothing romantically, there will be someone else to give you a real chance if that is what you want but it will never happen if push it away and chase the temporary."

"Whatever old man, I gotta go."

"Goodnight Sandor and remember, she is right about one thing, you deserve better, and so do the women."

Sandor hung up the phone and leaned his head back against the couch.

He spent the night tossing and turning, examining every tiny expression that Sansa had given him all day, unaware that a couple of miles away Sansa was doing the same.

Stacy refused to go quietly :-)