A couple days later Sansa sat on the porch mending a dress when she swore she felt the ground shake and heard what sounded like thunder. Perplexed she scanned the horizon and noted there weren't any clouds. If she didn't know better, she might've guessed it had been some sort of explosion. She stood up and looked towards town, the memory of the dust plume on the horizon the morning Robb had died filling her mind.

She relaxed a bit when she saw nothing but clear sky. She wondered for a moment if someone might be working the abandoned Cerwyn claim next to them. It wasn't unheard of for a perspective buyer to poke about before making a decision. She walked to the end of the porch and looked east, again nothing but clear blue sky. With a shrug she moved back to the middle of the porch and picked up the dress before sitting back down. She placed a few stitches before the sound of barking drew her attention away. She looked up to see Nymeria appearing over the ridge. The dog was running full tilt and barking madly. Sansa stood as Nymeria raced across the yard, charging Sansa and frantically biting at her skirts. Her teeth caught hold and she heard the fabric tear.

"Stop that!" she shouted. Nymeria ran a few paces back into the yard and looked at Sansa. Sansa looked at the tear in her shirt and glowered at the dog. Nymeria looked back and when Sansa didn't move she charged again and captured the skirt once more and gave a forceful pull. "Arya! Arya, your dog is out of control!" she shouted pushing at Nymeria while expecting to see Arya coming over the ridge at any moment.

Nymeria whined and yanked her skirt harder causing another tear. "Nymeria!" she yelled. What the hell was wrong with Arya's dog, and why was her sister not here controlling her? And then Sansa felt her heart stop. "Oh dear god," she breathed aloud in horror. She dropped the dress and ran off the porch in the direction Nymeria had returned from.

Nymeria gave chase and was soon leading her up the trail. "Arya! Arya!" she screamed as she ran.

When she reached the top of the trail she could see the top edge of the bluff had given way. She could see Arya partially buried beneath the rubble, she wasn't moving.

"Arya!" she screamed again and scrambled to her.

She dropped to her knees next to her sister. Arya was unconscious but at least she was still breathing. Sansa assessed her. She was pinned, mainly by her right leg, but by some miracle she hadn't been crushed. Her arms were scrapped and cut, and she was bleeding rather profusely from a small cut on her head, but it didn't look lethal. She tore a length of her skirt and pressed it to the cut. "Arya, Arya can you hear me?" she said in a calm voice as she placed one trembling hands on Arya's shoulder and gave her a gentle shake.

After a moment Arya groaned and slowly opened her eyes. "Sansa?"

"Yeah, I'm right here."

"I think I might've messed up."

"What did you do?"

"I thought I'd try and get started on our mine," she groaned. "I might've miscalculated."

"Clearly. What hurts?"

"My right ankle mostly."

"Hold this," Sansa ordered, placing Arya's hand to the fabric on her head. "Let me see if I can get you free."

Sansa started to try and move some of the rocks but her efforts only seemed to make the pile shift. She heard Arya cried out as a rock slid down and into her side. Sansa stopped. The last thing she wanted to do was crush her sister in a subsequent landslide.

"I have to go get help," Sansa said as she dropped down next to Arya. She was doing her best to stay calm despite the overwhelming sense of panic that threatened to overwhelm her.

"You're not just going to leave me for the coyotes are you?" Sansa wanted to chastise her for saying such a thing, but she knew her sister was likely using humor to cover up how scared she really was.

"Course not. But I can't get you out alone. I'm going to go to town. I'll get Doc T and anyone else that can help me dig you out. Nymeria will keep the coyotes and buzzards away while I'm gone."

"Buzzards? Christ almighty. Why'd you have to bring up buzzards?"

"Because I'm panicking!" Sansa cried and then took a deep breath. "I need to go," she added much more calmly.

"Alright, go. I'll wait here for the buzzards," Arya said, the slightest smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"Arya! I didn't mean -"

"Sansa, I know you didn't, just go."

Sansa took a deep breath and gathered her wits. She decided Arya giving her a hard time had to be a good sign. "I'll be back quick as I can. Please don't move around a lot. I don't want the rocks to slide more."

"Ok."

Their eyes locked for a moment. Sansa squeezed her hand and Arya squeezed back. She stood up and told Nymeria to stay before she ran back to the house. She quickly saddled her horse, Lady, and took off for town. She prayed the entire time for the curse to not take her sister.

xxxxxxxx

Jon stood behind the bar at Oathkeepers pouring drinks for the lunch crowd. Brienne was in the kitchen doing inventory and making a new batch of stew for dinner.

Pod had left a few days ago. Jon had learned what he could, but he still had a ways to go. Luckily Brienne was being patient with him. Thankfully most of the saloon's patrons drank beer and liked their liquor straight.

Sam, Tormund and Theon were at a table near the end of the bar eating lunch. Doc T had finally agreed to take on Sam as an apprentice, but the Doc had gone over Fairbank on a personal matter, so Sam won't be starting his official apprenticeship until next week. In the meantime Tormund was still trying to convince them they needed to stake a claim. He could hear him now attempting to persuade Sam once again.

Jon had already fended Tormund off earlier when he had come in before the others, ordered a Gin Sling and then laughed as Jon struggled to make it. Tormund took that as his opening to advise him he'd be hard pressed to make a lifelong career of being a bartender. Jon had retorted that he was still new and this was temporary.

"Exactly my point. All the more reason for you to be considering your future," Tormund told him.

Thankfully Brienne had chased him off then and told him if Tormund ever tried to order anything with fruit in it again to charge him double. "He doesn't even like that drink," she said taking a sip of it. She made a face and Jon could tell he must've made it wrong. "Still, it's better than what he did to Pod though. If he tries to get you to do shots of Cactus Wine with him, tell him to go fuck himself."

Now he stood paging through the drink guide Pod had left hoping to find out exactly what Cactus Wine was when his attention was pulled to the front of the saloon as the doors flew open. It took him a moment to realize it was Sansa. She looked frantic and wild. Her skirt was ripped near the bottom and her hair a mess. She stopped and blinked rapidly.

"Sansa?" Theon called out.

"I need help! Right now! Please!" she cried.

Brienne burst out of the kitchen then. "Sansa!? What's happened!?"

"It's Arya. The ridge gave way, she's trapped. I can't get her out."

"Oh god! Is she-"

"She was awake and breathing when I left, but she's pinned something fierce. I need to get back to her now."

"What you waiting on!?" Brienne snapped at the men. "Go!"

The men jumped to their feet. "I can get us a cart from the livery. Come on," Theon said.

The men ran down the street to the livery. In the meantime, Sansa mounted Lady who had been right outside the saloon and took off back towards Winterfell. Jon grabbed the nearest saddled horse as Sam, Theon and Tormund started to hitch a wagon.

"I'll meet you there!" he said as he swung up into the saddle. He kicked the horse before any of them could respond and took off down the street in the direction Sansa had gone a moment earlier.

He caught up with her just passed the end of Main Street and they raced back to Winterfell. They hitched the horses quickly and ran up the trail. Sansa was shouting Arya's name, calling out that her she was back and she'd brought help.

When they crested the hill, Jon was a bit taken back by the magnitude of the landslide. Nymeria spotted them, began barking and ran over as if to urge them along. "What happened?" he asked as they drew near the rocks.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I suspect she blew it up," Sansa answered shortly before they reached Arya.

Arya opened her eyes and groaned a bit. "You came back," she breathed.

"Of course I did. You doing ok?"

"The rock in my side shifted, it's getting mighty hard to breath."

"Ok, just hang on. The others will be here in a minute."

Several minutes later Theon, Tormund and Gendry crested the ridge carrying pieces of lumber and crowbars. Sam wasn't too far behind, huffing as he made his way over, doctor's bag en tow.

Sam went to work wrapping her head as the others devised a plan to use the lumber to brace some of the rocks while they removed others. Working together they were able to extricate Arya a short while later.

Gendry carried her back down the hill. Her ankle appeared to be broken and possibly a rib or two, but it was clear she would survive. Sam set to checking her over and setting her ankle.

Once they knew she was going to be ok, Theon, Tormund and a reluctant Gendry agreed to head back to town. They knew Brienne would want to know what had happened, as well as anyone else who had heard the news by now. Sam offered to stay and watch Arya for the night to make sure she was truly alright. Jon volunteered to stay with him. He figured Brienne would understand.

While Sam was inside with Arya, Sansa stood near the barn with Jon as they watched the other men leave in the wagon.

"The whole town's going to be talking about the curse by the end of the day," Sansa sighed softly.

"Fuck 'em. The important thing is she's alright."

"I know. I know that's what really matters. But still." She sounded sad and defeated.

"Are you ok?" he asked turning towards her.

"Of course. After all, I'm not the one that almost blew myself up," she answered. Her voice had a sharp jagged edge to it.

"Sansa," he said turning towards her.

"I don't know what I would've done if she'd… if she'd…." Her voice broke on the last syllable and a couple of tears slid out. Seconds later she started to sob.

Jon took her in his arms and held her as she cried. He wasn't sure how long they stood there, but at one point he had seen Sam come halfway out on to the porch, only to quickly retreat back inside when he saw them in an embrace.

"I'm sorry," she sniffled as she finally pulled away.

"No need to apologize," he said running a thumb over the edge of her jaw were several tears still clung. His hand lingered on her neck and they held each other's' gaze. One of the horses in the barn nickered loudly then, ending the moment. She stepped back to wipe her eyes and then gave him a weak smile.

"Thanks for helping, and for being so kind just now. It's been a minute since I had a good proper cry. I didn't expect it to come out quite like that."

"It's alright."

They stood for a moment observing each other and then Sansa's gaze broke away and she looked at the house. "Anyways, let's go check on my sister. She has a lot of explaining to do."

xxxxxxxx

Jon and Sam had agreed to sleep in the barn, but Jon found he couldn't sleep. He kept tossing and turning as he thought of the Starks and their predicament. Arya had explained she had trapped some jackrabbits and then traded them to the Tallharts for some dynamite. She explained that she was just trying to help. She thought if she could start the mine, maybe find the vein, then she could make sure they would be able to keep Winterfell without worry. She just hadn't anticipated how powerful the blast would be. Sansa had yelled at her for being stupid and impulsive, but afterwards had hugged her and told her she loved her. Arya had groaned due to her ribs but then had echoed her sister's sentiment.

"Don't ever do anything like that again," Sansa chastised her once more. "You can't leave me out here all alone." Arya had nodded and mumbled another apology.

Something had changed today. Sure he still wanted to help and protect them, but it was no longer just about repaying a self-imposed debt to Robb. Something about each of the girls spoke to him. For Arya it was her bravery and humor. She'd shown both so clearly as they had dug her out. And Sansa, god when she had been in his arms, well he had felt so whole and full of purpose. There was just something about her that seemed to speak to something inside him. Yes he had only known her a short time, but already he felt this undeniable pull to her. And based on the way she had looked at him when he had wiped away her tears, he was filled with hope that she might feel something similar. Could this really be it? Had he actually found the place where he belonged? If this wasn't it, could he accept that? These were the thoughts keeping him from sleep.

He decided it might help him clear his mind if he took a walk. He got up quietly, so as not to disturb Sam who lay snoring heavily near him, and made his way out of the barn. When he entered the yard, he was greeted by a sight he thought for a moment might be a dream. Sansa was sitting on the porch, hair down and loose, legs drawn up under her in a chair. A lantern sat on the table next to her casting a warm circle of golden light. A box sat next to the lantern and she was looking down at something in her hands.

He made his way over to the porch like a moth drawn to a flame. When he stepped on to the boards at the end of the porch they gave a subtle groan. She looked up at him. For a moment she appeared startled, but when she realized it was him, a small sweet smile spread across her lips.

"You can't sleep either?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"Not really. What are you doing out here?"

"Looking at old pictures. This one is of my ma. She was really beautiful," she said and held up a picture for Jon to see. He took the picture and studied it.

"You look just like her," he said as he handed it back and took a seat next to her.

"It seems to be both my blessing and my curse," she said staring off into the distance.

"I imagine it's hard to see her every time you see yourself." He didn't really have to imagine, it was how he felt when he saw his mother's eyes looking back at him when he caught the mirror at a certain angle. "How old were you when she passed?"

"Barely fourteen. I was supposed to be watching over her. Pa had taken everyone else to Tombstone to give her a little breathing room and to pick up supplies. She had seen this pretty new bassinet in the Sears and Roebuck, and he was planning to surprise her with it. He thought it would be nice since Rickon was supposed to be their last. But he came early….. I tried to help her, help him, but I didn't know what to do. I was alone with her almost two days. She hadn't let me go for help, said she'd birthed plenty of babies… By the time she realized this wasn't like the rest of us….. well…." She swallowed thickly and looked away.

"I can't even imagine how terrible that must've been for you."

"You don't know the half of it. There was so much blood. Sometimes I think I don't even want to have children, not after what I saw that day."

"I'm sorry."

She wiped a single tear away and gave him a forced smile. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be sitting out here wallowing and bringing you down. You must think all I do is cry."

"I don't think that. And you're not bringing me down. They say it can help when you share your pain with someone." She took a deep breath and nodded.

"Well then what about you?" she asked once she seemed steady. "You have any pain you want to share with me?"

He felt his face close down a bit at her question. "I think there's a rule somewhere that only one person a night can be sad."

"Hmm," she said looking at him. He could only meet her gaze for a moment before he looked away. "Alright," she went on. "But when you're ever ready to share, you'll come talk to me yes?"

"You have my word, if I need to talk, you'll be one of the first people I come to."

"One of?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, there is Sam to consider," he said in a gentle joking tone. The flush left her cheeks and she finally smiled.

They sat quietly after that, looking out across the desert. Somewhere an owl hooted and a coyote howled. And he found himself cautiously reaching for her hand. Neither of them made eye contact or even turned their heads as he did it, but he felt her fingers squeeze his as they watched the moon rise higher into the sky.

He wasn't sure how long they sat there like that, but eventually Sansa yawned and he suggested they turn in. She agreed and released his hand. They wished each other a quick goodnight. And the she went back inside, and him to the barn, without any acknowledgment of what had just happened between them.