A/N another M rating, hope you'll all enjoy.

Sansa watched Sandor exit the bathroom and as walk to the woodstove to put another log on the fire. There was a loud clap of thunder, gusts of wind and the power flickered. Sansa gasped and pulled an afghan over her head. She peeked out and saw Sandor smiling at her. He passed her a flashlight. "The power is going to go out eventually." He rasped. "Don't worry; we've got everything we need here. You're going to be alright, you know that, don't you?" He lit some candles to prepare so when the power eventually went out, they wouldn't be in pitch darkness.

He sat down on the other end of the couch. "What are we going to do now?" Sansa wondered.

"Are you hungry?" Sandor asked. Sansa shook her head no.

"Would you like more hot chocolate?" He rasped. Again, Sansa shook her head no.

The wind still howled, but the apartment was warm and cozy with the fire going and the candles twinkling merrily...

"Do you play scrabble?" Sansa asked

"I do." Sandor was going to up and find the game.

There was another crash of lightening and then a loud crack of a tree branch snapping.

Sansa screamed and leapt across the couch before Sandor had a chance to stand up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled into his lap.

Sandor could not believe it; Sansa must be terrified to be sitting in his lap. What woman would willingly seek him for comfort? Especially one not wearing any panties. That was not a conducive thought, he realized, removing her from his lap, before he made her more terrified. He made a show of rearranging her afghans, but in reality, he was trying to adjust himself, so she wouldn't notice his excitement. "Please don't get up," She whispered, sitting next to him, but still hanging onto his arm. He took a deep breath and eased his body back into the couch. She curled up next to his chest; he reflexively put his arm around her. She snuggled in closer. Sansa couldn't remember a time when she had felt safer, more content. Sandors arms were strong and warm, he smelled musky, masculine. She knew no matter what raged outside, Sandor would provide her comfort. She wrapped an arm around his waist, closing her eyes as he pulled the blankets up over her shoulders, covering them both.

Sansa was jolted out of her tranquility by another loud crack of thunder and then the power went off for good. There was the sound of more tree branches cracking.

"How come you're not scared of thunderstorms?" Sansa wondered, "You're not afraid of lightning strikes?"

Sandor couldn't stop himself, from rubbing Sansa's back and stroking her long auburn hair. "No, I'm not afraid of that, or fire" he breathed into her hair.

"Even after all fire did to you." Sansa whispered, amazed that fire wouldn't terrify someone who clearly had been hideously burned.

"Fire didn't cause the scars, my brother did." Sandor said quietly in a sad voice. He had never spoken of what had happened to his face with a woman. "It was a meth explosion;" he began cautiously, "My older brother was cooking it in our basement. It blew up, that's what killed my parents and my little sister. My brother is a monster. I was so angry with him for taking away all I loved, that is why I tried to kill him. To put a stop to his madness. That is why I went to prison, for attempted murder. The jurors never got the whole story. I was so angry and bitter; I was very little help to my public defender. But, now I am here and I've found my own sort of peace."

Sansa was shocked by Sandor's candor and frankness. She looked up into his eyes, put his smooth and his scarred cheeks in her hands and began to kiss him gently.