Chapter Twelve

Pregnant.

The word didn't seem to reach her at first. Sansa Clegane stared at Tyrion Lannister, looked to Shae, who seemed both furious and concerned, and back to the Imp in front of her.

Pregnant.

Was that even possible?

But then she thought about it. How she and Sandor had fairly been copulating almost every night and many mornings after Sandor's initial shock. Thought about her lack of moonblood. Her unusual impatience and mood swings. The way she couldn't stomach some foods and how she was nauseous at times. Was this all connected simply to a small part of life growing inside of her? She felt sick almost thinking about it. What would Joffrey…?

She didn't finish that thought; she only rushed to the washbin and heaved into it. Shae bustled over to her, murmuring some words, tugging back her braid, and offering some water for her to rinse her mouth. Sansa took the water offered, tears almost brimming in her eyes. What was she to do? She was still in the middle of the lion's den, with only Sandor as her protection and now Tyrion… Tyrion…

She turned back to the Imp, who was watching her with a look of discomfort. "Why did you want to know this? Why would you tell me?" she demanded, fairly stalking up to him and looking down at the shorter man. Her mind was reeling. How had she not even thought about this before? She'd been sleeping with Sandor since their wedding night, of course it was a possibility! Why didn't she think to prevent something this disastrous until after they'd escaped?

"Lady Sansa, we are not looking to use you or to rat you out to Joffrey. It's quite the opposite in fact." He smiled at her, as if that would make everything okay. "I'm working with someone. We are going to find a way to get you out of this city, away from the hands of Joffrey. You and the Hound both."

"Could she… I mean, is it possible that Jaynie is wrong?" she asked, almost hoping so.

All she could think was, Joffrey. Joffrey. Joffrey. Joffrey… What would Joffrey do if he found out?

Her mind kept imaging all the different things the boy King could do. And she still hadn't heard about the worst of his punishments, just what he thought would be best for her to hear. Tyrion seemed to be able to read her thoughts, for he gave her a pitying look and told her, "Unfortunately, it is very rare that she is wrong."

Sansa just wanted to sit down and cry. Instead, she looked at him with a lost expression and eventually asked quietly, "What am I supposed to do now?"

#

#

Varys was a man who prided himself on the fact he never intervened. He sat back, played with his webs and watched as all the plots worked themselves out, one way or the other. He never stepped in on anyone's behalf for any reason. Most people never even tried coming to him because they knew he was his own Spider. That, and Eunuches seemed to have an uncomfortable effect on the other population.

When Tyrion Lannister beckoned for him and asked him about Lady Sansa, for once Varys was at a loss. No one ever called upon a spider to help out a poor girl trapped in lion's den.

He was hesitant. Yes, he felt for the poor Clegane girl. No girl deserved the punishment that Joffrey put her to. Still, he knew what he did, he certainly didn't step in for anyone or for any reason. He just listened and watched and made sure he wouldn't be in any danger. Yet, Tyrion called out for help, offered what he could do for Varys and played with the Spider's small pitying side to the poor redheaded girl he saw nearly shake in fear with every step she took.

He couldn't risk his place in King's Landing, where he knew he could keep himself safe. So, he decided to play a card he hadn't thought he'd have to duel out so soon. He went to the woman he knew was planning something very intriguing, at least from what he'd heard of from the Spiders that had come to him.

He went to her the same day he finally made up his mind.

As expected, there were several men outside of Lady Olenna's chambers. Varys wandered up to them and asked, "Is Lady Olenna available?" and, tucking his hands into his sleeves, stared at the men in his way. To be an Eunuch and to stare at a man such as Varys did always made the Knights and other men extremely uncomfortable.

One of the men fumbled around for words and finally ducked into the Queen of Thorns' room. Varys waited patiently, studying the men in front of him. He knew about each of these men, their secrets, their weaknesses.

Finally, that same man returned, looking a bit flushed and groused, but he beckoned Varys through without another word. He bowed his head slightly and made his way into the guarded room. The door closed behind him, but he was focused on the woman in front of him, aged, but still looking far younger in her eyes as she scowled at the man in front of her. "My men tell me you had to see me today, Spider," she snapped.

He gave her a small smile and told her, "It's always a pleasure to be in your presence, my Queen of Thorns. May I have a seat?"

"Oh, why not," she grumbled, waving at the chair opposite of herself. She watched him as he settled down in the seat and studied him for quite a while silently. He waited patiently for her to speak again. She finally asked, "What did you need from me now?"

He smiled at her and told her in his sweetest voice, "I've been hearing whispers my dear. I want to be frank with you, because I have a lot that needs to be done in a very short period of time. These whispers speak of dark times in the near future, surrounding your sweet Lady Margaery and our King Joffrey." He could see she understood what he was saying immediately; a guarded look immediately spread across her face and she stared at him with deep suspicion. He continued before she could say anything, "I am not threatening to step across your territory. You do as you want, I simply have a requirement in which will help aid your plans."

"And what might that be?" she asked, still staring at him with distrustful eyes.

"Sansa and Sandor Clegane."

When she gave him a disbelieving look and a hard glare, he told her, "You need someone to carry in the object that'll help your granddaughter reach the throne without getting your own House dirtied. I'm sure you've come up with a plan, but I am offering you a better one, which will help immensely and put your House out of any possible blame."

She stared at him again for a long time, working her mouth and watching his every expression. His never wavered as he stared back at her. Eventually, she groused out, "What is this plan of yours?"

Varys gave her a wan smile and began to explain. He always won them over, in one end or the other.

#

#

Sansa sat on her bed, alone. It was nearing dinnertime, but she found her appetite had gone away completely and she didn't have the energy to do much else. Her hands were at her belly, unable to stop touching her stomach. Could see feel a difference, like Jaynie had? Sure, she was a little bit bigger. But was that just because she'd eaten so much extra food? Or was it because of the pre…? She couldn't finish the word, almost cringed at the thought. She cradled her belly almost carefully, lying out on the bed propped up by the pillows. She was almost completely bare, wanting to observe herself truly for the first time.

Not much looked different about herself. But she could see that her breasts had grown at least a full size, looking larger than before she'd been married. And her belly did stick out just a bit in her low abdomen, but it was not noticeable unless she really looked. She wondered what she would look like in a few months, rounder and definitely…

She stroked her belly again and rested her head against the feather pillows with a sigh. She knew she needed to tell Sandor, that it was only fair that she told him right away. But she hesitated. Because she didn't know what it was he was expecting out of this marriage. Did he even want children? Or would he reject this idea like he had their marriage to begin with? She wasn't sure she'd be able to handle that too. It would be far harder to hear his harsh words about this.

The door to the chambers slid open. With a squeak, Sansa tugged down her shift and sat up in bed. Sandor ambled in, smelling of wine and sweat. He almost didn't notice her on the bed right away, but when he saw her staring at him with wide eyes, he looked her up and down and rasped, "What you lookin' at me like that for, Little Bird?"

"I-I…" She swallowed and told him slowly, "I didn't think you'd be back till later."

"Got off early," he grunted, looking less than amused by her words. "You eat dinner yet?"

She shook her head and mumbled, "I haven't been very hungry today."

"Gotta eat one way or the other girl. I'll get the girls to fetch some food."

"No!" she blurted out, startling him. She scrambled off of the bed and walked up to him. "I-I just want a night where it's the two of us. If they come now…" They always wanted to stay no matter what she said sometimes. Lately, they'd been more likely to decline her dismissals, until Sandor had to startle them out at night. If he wasn't there, she could be stuck with them all night until she faked sleep.

He stared at her, slightly startled by her outburst. She fiddled with her hands and then wrapped her arms around his torso. She rested her head against his chest, closing her eyes. After several moments, the Hound rasped, "Anything the matter, girl?" She shook her head, still wrapped around him. She wanted to tell him so badly, wanted to open her mouth and let the words fall. But the impending chaos that could follow or the lack of him in her life again scared her so much, she almost started to shake. She knew now she could never be without him. He was a part of her, as much as Lady had been before and what she had left of her family now.

Reluctantly, she lifted her head and looked up at him with wide, wet eyes. She opened her mouth, hesitant and reluctantly told him, "I don't ever want you to leave. I need you here. We're together, we-"

He interrupted her by hoisting her up and kissing her fiercely. When they finally separated, Sansa flushed and silent, he told her lowly, "I ain't going nowhere." The fluttering in her stomach and the ache in her chest told her all that she needed to know. She tugged him in for another kiss, less fierce, but none the less passionately. She tried not to think about what she'd need to tell Sandor eventually. Sometime soon, she would have to speak the truth, tell him what he didn't know, but for the time being she contented herself with her secret.

Eventually, he managed to talk her into at least calling onto Shae for some food. She wrapped a fluffy robe around herself so she was a bit more presentable. He had plenty of food brought for both of them and told Shae to have the other girls bring him some water to bathe in. He wandered off from the room for only a moment, but it was enough for Sansa to pull the foreign girl aside and to tell her, "I'm not saying a word to him about it."

Shae fairly yanked her arm out of her grasp and demanded, "What do you mean you aren't telling him?"

Sansa glanced at the room, and then added, "I don't want him to know unless there are more signs. Until then…"

The handmaidens came back in with water at that moment, silencing whatever Shae might have added. The foreign girl gave her a fierce glare, but reluctantly settled back into her role of putting together the food that was brought up. She settled out, testing each food to see what she would enjoy the most. It was a good meal, with a large bird, some fruits and vegetables, and some sort of sticky cakes that made her taste buds sing it rejoice even though she couldn't pinpoint an extra taste or flavor to them. She ate several more than she should have and kept some extra peaches around for a midnight snack.

By the time Sandor came back for his bath, she'd inhaled over half of the food and was looking at the water in the tub with a bit of longing. Shae and the other handmaidens had disappeared. Ignoring the food, Sandor walked over towards the tub and, as he was pulling off his tunic, said to her, "You can come in too, Little Bird." She almost declined, thoughts of what she might look like in his eyes. Would he be able to see any difference? But then she thought about what he might think if she declined.

Swallowing, she nodded and, almost reluctant, untied the robe around herself. Her shift was easy to slip over her head and she watched as he was quick to remove his breeches and slid down into the steaming water. Almost reluctant, she padded over and climbed in in front of him. She sighed in content as the water touched her skin, but she almost flinched when the Hound wrapped his arms around her waist and tugged her close. It wasn't often he was affectionate, but she noticed if they bathed together (not as often as one would expect, considering it took a lot of persuasion to try to even get him to bathe daily) or when they fell asleep around the same time, he didn't mind her being close.

For a long time they were silent. Sansa settled against his chest, letting her braided hair fall across her shoulder out of the water. She helped scrub the dirt and grime from his chest, arms and torso and flushed darkly when he suggested she go further below. Despite all that they'd done, Sansa always seemed embarrassed whenever he implied something inappropriate. Still, she could play the same game that he did and slyly said, "Of course I can help scrub your legs too!" He threw his head back and laughed. She did just as she said, taking time to wash him everywhere, but his manhood. He watched her with an amused expression, eventually tugging her back to him where she settled across his lap.

He took the soaped-up cloth from her fingers and used it across her shoulders to her chest. She almost whined when he ran it across her breasts, her nipples seeming extra sensitive. When rinsed off the soap and softly nipped at her shoulders, she leaned her head against him. He cupped each of her breasts, twisting and tugging gently on her nipples. It almost ached even though he didn't use enough pressure to hurt her, leaving her whimpering in a mixture of pain and pleasure. He moved one hand further down, near between her legs… She cringed the moment he brushed against her lower belly. Immediately, he let go of her. She froze.

"The hell is wrong with you tonight girl?" he asked, sounding suspicious.

"N-nothing," she stammered, staring at him with wide eyes and trying to pretend to be innocent. She knew how terrible of a liar she was, but she hoped he wouldn't notice too much. She lowered her eyes and added, "I just haven't been feeling real well. And I-well I'm a bit fat."

By the look on his face, he didn't believe a word she said. He might have laughed at her words if he couldn't tell she was lying so badly. When he went to open his mouth, she jumped onto the opportunity. She kissed him as best as she could, trying to distract him. For a moment, he seemed to struggle to focus against the fact she lied, but when she reached between them and used her hand to help slowly slide down onto his erect self, she knew she had him. She arched, moaning at the fullness and the delicious throb she felt.

He kissed her fiercely, finally, finally seeming to drop the suspicion and, instead of taking her as she expected, he wrapped his arm around her tightly and stood. Immediately, she wrapped her legs around his waist, feeling him slide all the way into her. It was almost uncomfortably full.

He stepped out of the tub, immediately walking them over to their bed and lying her down on her back. She unwrapped her legs, but he was already driving into her. His mouth moved down to her neck, where he nipped and sucked and probably left another one of the dark marks she'd noticed in the past.

She tried to focus on what he was doing to her, tried to ignore the voices in her head whispering to her to tell him. She keened into his touches, the movement almost lagging to her, met each of his thrusts and moaned and whimpered, the noises almost hollow in her ears, until he finally stilled inside of her once more. She was too preoccupied in her own thoughts to even consider trying to finish herself. She just hoped he didn't notice.

As they lie there together, Sansa attemptedd not to think about the consequences of keeping her little secret to herself.

~A/N~

Hey everyone! I'm so sorry for the long update, I've been playing with this chapter over and over again. And I was super nervous about writing Varys, he's such a difficult character.

I'm expecting probably two, maybe three chapters left to wrap this up. And my mind is playing with the idea of a sequel, but that is extremely debatable.

Thank you so so very much about the reviews!

R&R

XmX