A/N: Picking up again from the end of Dany's pov in the last chapter when Jon has just been visited by her future self.

Act Five: Being Dragons

Jon XXV

Dragonstone (7x07 AU)

"It has been a very strange couple of days, as I said before." Jon tried hard not to look at Dany as he wrestled with the dilemma of whether he should tell her what he had learnt. "I got another visit a short while ago. Another visit from the future."

"Who was it?" she asked.

Finally he did glance up at her, trying hard to keep his emotions hidden. "You."

"Me? When?"

"A few months into the future."

Jon bit his lip. He knew next to nothing about pregnancy. The Dany who had recently visited him had seemed very far along but then his wife was small and perhaps she had already gained a little weight and neither of them had thought much of it. Had she? He frowned, trying to remember the last time he had seen her fully naked. They were now so often buried under furs, after all. Perhaps at Casterly Rock?

"What is it, Jon?"

He shook his head. "I'm just worried about you."

"There's no need. I feel so much better now. Just a bit tired still."

"Shall I stay?"

Her face lit up, her eyes sparkling despite her exhaustion. "Yes, please. Even if only for a while. I know it'll make me sleep better and then perhaps I can finally start catching up."

Jon nodded as he started to undress, biting back his immediate response that she shouldn't be rushing of anywhere in her condition. His sudden excitement at the realisation that his wife had to be pregnant already and he was going to be a father, faded slightly as he thought about how bad the timing of this actually was. She was needed in this fight - they both were - but, seeing how ill their first visit through time had made them, would any future jumps need to be postponed until after the conflict?

But Jon already knew that wasn't going to work. After all, the Dany he had just spoken to in Winterfell had said she planned to visit him in her time but had ended up in the past anyway.

As usual, when visiting via the Door, Jon placed his shirt on the pillow and only dropped his trousers to his ankles before clambering into bed with his wife and snuggling close, laughing as she yelped at the feel of his cold hands as he caressed her through her thin nightdress.

"How tired are you right now?" he whispered.

"Suddenly nowhere near as much as I was a few moments ago," she replied.

"Good."

Jon started to bunch up her skirts, fingers slowly stroking up her legs, enjoying her gasps of delight as he edged his way higher. He would take his time tonight and be soft and gentle and very, very thorough. He was going to enjoy seeing if he could discover any differences in her body. Any hints at all that she had already started to change.

Dany gasped and wriggled under him, trying to tempt him into rushing, trying to take a hold of him to make him lose patience but he would not be distracted today. Despite not wanting to be rough with her, Jon grabbed her two slender wrists in one hand and hoisted them over her head to still her. He heard her breath hitch then - obviously anticipated one of his rougher games - but he simply wanted to hold her captive so he could continue his slow exploration up her body, his free hand and lips taking far longer than usual to nuzzle at the soft swell of her stomach and her delicious breasts. He took them firmly in hand, measuring them, his light rub of her nipples causing her to gasp.

"Jon, let me touch you."

"Patience," he said. "I've not finished."

"Finished what? Torturing me? Why are your lips and fingers there? That's not where they're needed."

He laughed and continued his slow exploration, allowing the idea to grow in him. Ordinarily he would be afraid. Afraid of her carrying such weight on her small frame. Afraid of her being pregnant whilst fighting. Of her giving birth after her previous disastrous pregnancy. But he had just seen her glowing with health whilst a good way along and also as an old woman who had obviously survived the birth. Of course there was still no way of knowing whether the baby had lived or even if he would survive to see that future but he could take comfort in that one thing, at least. That his beloved Dany would not suffer the fate that either of their mothers had.

He moved up to her lips then, smiling as he moved to gently kiss her, only to be faced by her glower.

"What?" he asked.

"Are you quite sure you're my Jon?" she asked. "Because I hardly recognise you today."

"Of course," he reassured her, kissing her gently. "No time travel involved. I just felt the need to worship every inch of your body tonight. To show you just how delicious you are to me."

"You're driving me to distraction," she countered. "Just fuck me already."

He laughed at that, finally releasing her wrists to move into position between her legs, feeling a lot less fired up than he usually did and anticipating staying inside her for a good, long while, if she would allow him to dictate the pace. He moved slowly, gently, perhaps even more so than on their wedding night.

'Had it happened then?' he wondered as he slid into her lazily. If their theory was correct then there weren't many times it could have happened. Not many times when they had both been anchored to the same place.

"Faster! Please," Dany begged but all Jon did was adjust his position a little so he could move a hand in between to help push her over the edge whilst maintaining his slow and gentle rhythm. He gasped and stilled as he achieved his aim, revelling in the sensation of her clenching and pulsing around him whilst he still felt he had a way to go. He waited, savouring it all until he felt her relax a little, before starting to move again; gently at first, smirking as she twitched and cursed on every push, still over-sensitive.

"Perhaps if you weren't so gentle you'd have finished along with me," she grumbled but Jon just laughed, moving to kiss her lips.

"I love you so very much, my fiery dragon. Let me pleasure you once or twice more and then you'll be sure to feel better in the morning."

"No."

Her patience had now obviously worn thin, one hand pulling his hair whilst the other clawed at his back, her heels pressing his buttocks as she pushed him down and arched her own hips up to meet his. He had one last attempt at holding her still, of continuing to make gentle love to her, but then she yanked his hair and suckled his throat and Jon's dormant inner wolf was abruptly awoken, urging him to grab her wrists again - to thrust into her hard and fast - until they both screamed their release together.

His queen always got her way in the end.

~o~0~o~

She had fallen asleep almost immediately. Only stirring slightly as Jon pulled up his trousers and put on his shirt, muttering a few half-hearted curses at him for having teased her so.

"I look forward to my punishment the next time, my queen," he replied, snuggling back into her embrace and kissing the top of her head. He didn't feel especially tired right now and so hoped he could stay awake for a while and savour her presence next to him. After all, he was quite used to whiling away sleepless nights on his own - spending the time working through problems or making plans - and this was considerably more pleasant with his wife in his arms and looking so beautiful.

He again wrestled with the dilemma of whether or not to tell her she was pregnant. She would probably be cross with him for not saying anything but, then again, would she perhaps prefer to find out herself? Maybe she even suspected it but was keeping quiet due to her own doubts and fears? If it had happened at their wedding then surely it must soon start to become obvious to her? When she woke up a little later, Jon still hadn't made up his mind, instead leaning down to kiss her gently and ask her how she felt.

"Good," she replied. "Very much better. Thanks the gods. I really do have so much I need to catch up on."

"You're flying over to your camp?" he asked, getting out of bed, thinking perhaps to walk home for a change.

"Yes. Varys has been setting up a few special routes in and out of King's Landing itself. The Dragon Train, he's been calling it. We use it to take in sacks of food to our contacts there whilst also smuggling out a number of the most vulnerable citizens."

"That will take a long time though," Jon said.

She nodded. "So, the latest plan is for us to start infiltrating certain parts of the city and claim them from the inside. Cersei cares little about what goes on in there - mostly leaving them to fend for themselves - and so Varys thinks it'll be easy to slowly take over the city itself and gain support from the inside, much as we have done with the lords in the castles. If that's successful then we'll only be left with the Red Keep and we can either use the Door to infiltrate that or I can simply have Drogon deal with it."

Jon winced at the thought but nodded. "At least that way you'll only be attacking the actual enemy. Not the innocent citizens."

She smiled. "Exactly."

"It's a good plan," he said with a sigh. "I just hope we have time for it."

"Cersei is still currently contained and, although it's true I do need to keep a number of my forces there whilst this plan is in operation, it'll be easy enough for me to fly up to you quickly if there's a problem." She was also getting out of bed, moving towards her clothes. "Are you going back home?"

"Thought I should. Missed most of yesterday due to the time travelling."

"And you haven't slept?"

"I slept deep enough the night before. I'll be fine." He sighed. "I need to talk again to Bran about all of this as well as something the future you said but … perhaps I should wait until you fly back up so we can both be there for that?"

"Of course. I'll try not to be too long."

"Good." He moved forward to give his wife a long, lingering kiss. "Please be careful down there and come back up to me soon." She frowned slightly, looking at him closely. "Promise me? Don't over-exert yourself after the last couple of days?"

"I promise, but I really am fully recovered now, Jon. Please stop fussing."

He shook his head, not convinced and still not certain about his decision to withhold that vital piece of news from her. He gave his wife another long, lingering kiss, the hand he had resting on her hip now itching to caress her stomach whilst he swallowed a lump in his throat at the memory of the firm kick he had felt there a few months from now … Yesterday.

"Jon? Are you sure you're all right?" she asked, frowning at him.

He huffed a small laugh. "Perfectly. Just take care. I love you."

"I love you too," she replied, and he smiled at her gently before turning around and heading back through the Door to Winterfell.

~o~0~o~

Dany XXV

Dragonstone & Camptown (S8 AU)

"How are you feeling?" Missandei asked Dany as she walked into her official chambers.

"Very much better." Although she was still dwelling on Jon's visit and why she had thought for a moment that he'd been a time travelling version.

"Are you sure?"

"No, it's fine," she replied, turning her attention onto her friend more fully. "I just got a visit from Jon and it's distracting me a bit." Her friend ducked her head, smirking. "And not like that. Only that I'm to fly up to Winterfell just as soon as I've concluded my visit to King's Landing.

Missandei nodded. "I had a raven sent to Rosby yesterday to tell them you had been delayed. I've no idea if the message would have reached the camp in time though."

"Thank you. I suppose that means I'd better make an early start, just in case it didn't."

The flight over there was fairly short but still gave Dany a chance to think more about what had happened to her and Jon over the last couple of days. That they'd both managed time travel independently on the same day was strange enough but then Jon had received another visit, although it dawned on her then that he'd said very little about it. All he had told her was that it had been from a few months into the future and that he needed to talk to Bran because of something she had told him. What an odd thought.

"Did you receive my message from Missandei about being delayed?" Dany asked as soon as she arrived in the pavilion.

"No," Tyrion replied with a wry smile, "but we're getting used to your absences now and have just been proceeding as planned." He looked at her more closely and frowned. "Are you quite well?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm fine." She really did feel perfectly recovered. Why was everyone fussing over her all of a sudden? "Is everything ready? This place appears to have grown."

"It has," Tyrion replied. "Come and take a tour of Camptown and see for yourself."

"Camptown?"

"Yes," he said with a broad smile. "Let me show you around."

Tyrion escorted her towards the northern part of her camp and proudly showed her the numerous new tents that had been erected there to house, clothe and feed those who would be leaving the city during the next few weeks.

"We've recruited people from a number of nearby settlements and have more on their way from the south and west," he told her. "We're not only smuggling out the most vulnerable from King's Landing but also the most skilled too. It won't be long before these visitors will be able to return home with wagons full of extra food, weapons and people to help them through the long winter."

Dany nodded her approval. It had been the main selling point of her scheme to the castle lords she had visited recently. Send prisoners and some skilled soldiers to the Wall and send artisans and healers to her camp. In return she would continue to fly in supplies to those castles and boost their armies with her own men. Huge numbers of people were already on the move north and east, and now she was to start her campaign to truly take over King's Landing by both removing as many of the population as she could and annexing large parts of the city for herself.

Ser Davos had remained down here with them, his smuggling abilities and knowledge of King's Landing being of great use to her at the moment, even if Jon did half heartedly grumble about her having stolen away his Hand. Davos had contacted a blacksmith within the city who was helping him in there and, along with Varys' little birds and all their new contacts, they now had quite a crowd of people working inside for her cause. There had already been numerous, small smuggling missions undertaken during the last couple of weeks; various Unsullied soldiers taking in food and weapons to their contacts within King's Landing and then staying there, quietly helping to secure one small area, whilst other people of importance came back out. Silent Sisters, septas and septons, cooks, bakers and maesters.

"And how are things looking inside the city now?" she asked Varys. "Are we going to be able to secure that key area around the base of the Keep? Will we soon have access into the castle itself?"

"It is where we are focusing our efforts, Your Grace," he confirmed. "Although I would not recommend trying to use that passageway quite yet."

She nodded. "I will accept your superior knowledge of the workings of the city, Varys," she replied. "I'm just pleased that that is the area we are focusing on." Because she really needed to know that she or Jon could use the Door if required, and this time be able to easily escape out into a friendly area.

"We are now close to getting it secured," Varys continued. "Ser Jorah is in command of your soldiers, quietly taking control inside, whilst Ser Davos is working with the blacksmith Gendry in what we are now calling the Dragon Quarter, helping to move people in and out and dealing more directly with the smallfolk."

Having worried so much about the delay, Daenerys was both reassured and slightly offended that the plan had been going ahead without her. When she asked whether she was needed in King's Landing her advisors looked surprised, informing her that there was no need to risk her safety when everything was now running quite smoothly without her.

"You didn't seem concerned last time," she said, unable to shake the feeling there was some odd conspiracy going on behind her back.

"It was very helpful to have you there before," Varys explained, "and for our contacts to meet the Dragon Queen in person rather than just accept my word on the matter. That last visit did the trick though. You have a large number of supporters within the city now and the word will continue to quickly spread. There really is little need for you to show your face again there. Certainly not in the short term."

She turned to Tyrion an eyebrow raised. "So I should just sit in my castle and let you get on with it?"

"I thought that was the whole point?" he replied, amused. "I thought you had given us this job whilst you used your dragons to check on the progress of the supply trains and fly up to the Wall to keep an eye on your husband's walking dead men."

She nodded. "Of course. You're quite right. It's just ..." She shrugged having no idea why she was objecting. She did have other places to be, after all. "An official meeting later today then to make sure I'm fully appraised of all the news here and then I shall fly up to Winterfell."

Tyrion nodded. "And will you be bringing Jon Snow south then?"

"To Dragonstone, yes, but I wasn't planning for him to come here. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason other than ..." Her Hand smiled broadly. "I admit that I would simply be glad to see the boy again."

~o~0~o~

Winterfell

Jon was fussing again.

Daenerys tried to ignore it, grumbling to herself as she packed a few things into the chest here; now slowly getting to the point where she was making herself comfortable in her various bed-chambers at several different castles.

"Perhaps you'd like to rest for a bit?"

She spun around sharply, striding over to her husband so quickly that he took a hasty step backwards, belatedly aware of her mood and obviously nervous by it. She smirked at his reaction before turning abruptly more serious.

"What in the Seven Hells is wrong with you lately, Jon?"

"M-me?"

"Yes, you."

"Ah, you worried about me after King's Landing," he mumbled, his tone slightly sulky.

"And you scolded me for it. We both got tired when time travelling and you don't see me asking after you constantly." He winced. "Anything you want to say?" Jon just shook his head. "Fine. Let's go and see Bran then."

He followed behind her quickly, taking her hand, looking up at her through long eyelashes and pouting so pathetically that she struggled to keep her expression stern, wondering at how difficult it was for her to remain truly cross with him. As they crossed the small courtyard she quickly became distracted by the well, moving over to touch it and then looking around, trying to discover the subtle differences from a week ago … Fourteen years ago. She shook her head.

"So odd."

"It must be," Jon said. "I've only travelled back months, not years."

Being here now was helping Dany to recall that time travelling visit in more detail and she told Jon about it, her annoyance with him briefly forgotten. Once with Bran in his chambers the couple related their stories again and much of what Jon said was new to her as well, either because he was remembering things in hindsight or because he hadn't got around to mentioning it to her before.

"You weren't able to direct the visits then?" Bran asked.

"No," Jon replied. "I wasn't even sure if I was visiting Dany in the past or present."

"I was aware that I had travelled back in time," Dany told them. "I just woke up and … knew how to do it somehow. I didn't direct the journey itself though, even if I did end up taking the only one I really knew about as fact."

"But we're not here just to pass on news of our success here," Jon said then. "I had one final visit as I was recovering, you see. From Dany. A few months into the future."

Bran nodded, surprisingly calm about such a comment. "She had news for you?"

"Information, yes, but also a question for you. Or ... for me to ask you." Dany frowned at him, not having been told about this bit yet. "She asked you what is wrong with your future visions," Jon continued. "She wanted to know what it is about them that has been confusing you recently."

Bran frowned, looking down at his lap. "That's interesting. Certain events I saw some time ago have now not happened in the same way, it's true, but I assumed that was the nature of the future. That it was still being formed and shaped. That it was still … fluid."

"And yet you described it as a tapestry," Jon said. "Past and future and present all linked. Didn't you say that everything has happened already? That it can't be changed? Are you telling me now that some of the future events we've been made aware of may not turn out that way?"

"The past is fixed it's true. You will go back to rescue Daenerys and, although her visit to you is in the future, the fact she travelled to your past means that that event can no longer be changed either."

Jon let out a sharp breath and Dany wondered at the sudden flash of relief that crossed his face on hearing Bran's assertion.

"But there must be other events that are more flexible," the young man continued "Things which are not fixed in the future." He frowned, shaking his head. "Suddenly, now that I say it, I can see how odd those events seem. How they were all set to be correct and yet are no longer true and..." His gaze became distant again.

"Yes?" Jon pushed. "The Dany I met seemed very insistent that you understood this problem. She believed it was very important for us."

Bran looked straight up at her then and yet … also seemingly straight through her too. His voice taking on an even more unemotional quality.

"I saw a dragon falling. Dying. I saw the Night King and … He knew it would happen. He planned for it to happen. He made it happen. I saw Jon in the snow and in the freezing water and in danger. You flying to his rescue ..."

"When will this happen?" she pushed. "Can we change it?"

"That time has passed," Bran whispered. "The vision is no longer true. I just assumed that it was the way things worked. I'm still so new to this after all. And yet … The Night King expected it to happen. So did a group of men who travelled up to Eastwatch."

"We met those men," Jon realised. "They … they weren't making a lot of sense to be honest." He looked up at her and she shrugged as she tried to recall what they had said.

"Visions in the flames. An arrowhead mountain. An expedition north."

"Yes," Bran said. "That was the expedition that you had to rescue Jon from. Who do those men believe sent them their visions?"

"The Red God. R'hllor. The Lord of Light," she replied.

Bran nodded. "You should talk to them again when you're next there, then, but I think now perhaps I can guess what is happening. I think I'm starting to understand. I told you that I had never seen your Door in my visions? That it was hidden from me?"

"I remember," Jon replied.

"I think then … it must be hidden from others too. Your magic is from Essos - from Old Valyria - but, if the followers of R'hllor cannot see it either then …" His voice trailed away and he lowered his head again, deep in thought.

"What are you saying?" Jon pushed.

"I think that your Door has changed things. Myself and others with the gift to view the future can see many and numerous possible paths but, a future influenced by the Dragon Doors, is apparently unable to be viewed in that way."

"Which is good news?" Dany suggested.

"It's good news if the Night King cannot see the new path, yes, but it also means that I am unable to view it either."

"Tell me about the dragon falling," she asked him.

"I told you. The time has passed. That future cannot happen now."

"That doesn't mean to say it won't happen later on or in a different way. Tell me. Which dragon? How?"

"All I know is it was not the one you were riding. The Night King threw a great ice spear and it struck one of the other two. He threw another at you but you were able to swerve. A dragon with a rider has so much more … purpose. Two pairs of eyes. Double the instincts."

"Was I not riding one?" Jon asked.

"No. Daenerys and the dragons came to rescue you. You needed something beyond the Wall but I'm not certain what it was. As I said, that thread of time no longer exists. The need for you to undertake that mission has long gone."

"But we will have to engage the Night King at some point in the future and on dragons," Dany said, turning to Jon. "So we'll need to be prepared for those spears."

"Yes." He nodded. "That may be what you meant for us to learn."

"It is good to know, it's true," Bran said, "but don't underestimate the main thing we discovered here. The Night King cannot see the Doors or anything that has been influenced by them. Recently I've been convinced that his power to manipulate others has been his main weapon. He sees the future and uses his visions to creates the future and allow it all to come to pass. I have believed for a while my task was to work to counter his visions wherever I could but now? Now we know that parts of the future are closed to him and so he no longer has control over it."

"And yet he won't know that?" Jon suggested. "He won't realise why things are not going the way he expected?"

"If you needed to show me the Door and give me hints from the future for me to understand why my visions are wrong then, no, I cannot see how he could possibly understand."

Dany let out a sigh. "I won't lose them, Jon. They are my children and I cannot see them die."

He looked at her curiously and, for once, she was quite unable to interpret the various, subtle expressions that flit across his features.

"I do not believe we can go into such a battle without expecting a great many losses, Dany. So I'm afraid I cannot guarantee their safety. But at least we now have some warning. Some way to help us prepare and stay one step ahead of him for a change."

~o~0~o~

They left Bran's room in a thoughtful mood, Jon offering his arm to escort her back to their chambers. Winterfell was starting to get crowded now - various northerners evacuating to its relative safety - and so it made sense for them to share a room, considering how infrequently she was actually here.

Dany was still a little cross with him but, with her hand comfortably in his arm and his head ducked to whisper some inconsequential thing about the plan for the trip south, she quickly decided that being angry with her husband was not in her best interest right now. She wanted him. Needed him. So, she allowed herself to relax into his body a little, her hand wandering slightly under his cloak to make her intentions perfectly clear.

"Jon. Daenerys." She tried hard not to roll her eyes at the interruption.

"Hello, Arya," Jon said and she too smiled brightly at the girl, genuinely pleased to see her, despite the intrusion.

"Are you to travel south again soon?" she asked them.

"Tomorrow," Jon confirmed. "Assuming no other issues arise."

"Any chance I could come with you?" she asked, her eyes wide and pleading turning first to Jon and then her. "You did promise me a dragon ride, after all."

Dany smiled at the look she recognised from when Arya had been a small girl. Always so in awe. So determined to escape her carers to come and play with them.

"I don't see why not. We're going to Dragonstone next but Jon will only be able to stay there a day or two?"

"Oh, that's fine. I won't get in your way and I would love to see the place." Then she laughed brightly. "But I can see the two of you have other things on your mind right now so I won't keep you."

"Arya!" Jon complained whilst Dany just laughed before dragging him more urgently up the spiral staircase.

"No, she's right. I need you naked and inside me, although you do have some apologising to do first."

"Me?" Jon asked. "What for?"

"For being annoyingly over-protective."

He nodded, a sly smile on his face. "Of course. And what do I need to do to atone for that crime?"

"You need to do me," she replied promptly. "Just as often as you can."

"That doesn't sound like too much of a chore," he replied as they reached his chambers and he turned to bar the door. "So let me make a start on that."

She sometimes forgot how quick he was. He had barely locked them in before he was back on her, pushing her onto the bed, hands under her skirts and yanking off her trousers before she knew what was happening.

"Jon!" she cried.

"Ssh," he mumbled. "Pace yourself, my love. It's going to be a very long night."

~o~0~o~