AUTHOR NOTES:

- This is the last chapter of this story. THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed, followed, read, and otherwise stuck this out with me.

- Thank you to Soldan & Samyo, whose Stannis/Sansa stories (mostly found on other sites) gave me the addiction.

- I apologetically doubt I will plug every plot-hole I've opened in this ending, which gives me an excuse for follow-ons and one-shots based on this Alternate Universe.

- Thank you also GRRM for creating such interesting characters for me to not profit from while having my own little adventure with them.

- ONE LAST – to those who have listed this story to follow; I may go back in and clean up typos and perhaps an anachronism or five or ten. So if you get a see updates to several chapters in the course of a day or two – that's all it is . . . nothing really new or changed. Thx again!

Sansa

It was the next morning when the first raven arrived from Davos at King's Landing. A copy of the same raven had been received, along with several others – some claimed the King was dead, others claimed he was alive, with only one carrying an official seal of the Night's Watch. It reported that Stannis had gone south with Robb to take Winterfell from Ramsey Snow. Davos also put credence in the notion that it was in Lord Baelish's nature to create plots solely for his amusement and possible advantage. Ultimately, the gist of the raven was that nothing was certain and that he advised the party from King's Landing to return and for The Hound to return to Riverrun.

Sansa knew all news, valid and erroneous, would be coming into King's Landing and that the fleet would return there as well. She was determined that if she could not go North to look for her husband, she would wait for him the first place he was most likely to return. She refused to accept that he might be dead or allow anyone to speak to her as if he was. In this, she was joined by Shireen, who seemed to go from little girl to young woman in one night. Rather than play with the Seaworth boys and Edric Storm, she assisted with preparations to leave, needing employment every bit as much as Sansa did.

She made her way out to the yards with Marya to discuss Edric Storm with Ser Rolland, or rather inform him that they had decided he would come with them to King's Landing rather than return to Dragonstone. Sansa had not considered him and his being alone at Dragonstone without the children he grew up with until she met him. If Ser Andrew Estermont would not take responsibility for him, as he had Prince Tommen when asked to do so, then she would make some other arrangement.

As she informed Ser Rolland of the small change in plans, one he was glad to hear of for it saved diverting some of his men to Dragonstone, Sansa saw Sandor talking to Alys out of the corner of her eye. She tried not to observe too closely or appear too interested. In truth, she was more than a little interested. From what she could see, Sandor was listening intently to what the lady was saying to him; and there was no bark or growl in reply before he strode away toward the training yard.

They were provisioned and prepared to leave in three days' time, due largely to the motivation of Sansa and Marya to get back to King's Landing. Sansa put Steffon in Marya's arms and all waited while she and Sandor walked out of hearing distance from most of the retinue heading for King's Landing.

"Once again, I owe you my life," she began, looking up at him with clear eyes, but strained emotions. "The last time we parted, I was not certain I would ever see you again. I am not any more certain of it now, but I truly hope so."

Despite a face that could not help but look fierce at the best of times, Sandor tried to smile. It more resembled a leer and she wasn't entirely certain it wasn't one. "I may come back south again before too long, Little Bird. I was advised that I should consider taking a wife. Said even if she isn't the woman I want, she would be better than not having one at all."

Sansa did not have to ask who provided this advice and it made her equal parts sad and jealous. The mature woman she wanted to be decided to answer him rather than the self-regarding girl she felt surfacing. "Should you take a wife, I hope you will one day be most glad of her."

"But leave a little space for you?" he rasped in reply, raising a knowing brow.

She answered him with a smile and then raised her arms to his shoulders and put enough pressure to let him know she was asking him to lean down toward her. Everyone present knew there was something between them, even if not exactly sure what it was. Sansa would not deny treating him as she would her brothers or even Davos Seaworth at an emotional parting. She kissed his burn-scarred cheek first and then his stubbled one before letting go. "Please send a raven of your safe return if you can."

"If you or yours send for me, Little Bird, I'll be there. Believe that."

With that, she joined Mary, Shireen, and Steffon in the carriage and gave a sign to Ser Rolland that she was ready to depart. No one mentioned The Hound to her and she did not look out of the carriage to watch him mount Stranger and head northwest.

The trip took a little over a sennight and all were glad the trip was over. Davos was there to meet them as they entered Maegar's Holdfast from the dry moat. Sansa insisted Marya exit first to greet her husband. Her heart ached as she watched Marya hold her husband close. Sansa had prayed she would find Stannis there upon their return although she knew it would have been impossible for him return so soon, even if all were well.

After disengaging from her husband's embrace, Marya reached in to take Steffon and Davos extended a hand to his queen to help her from the carriage and then doing the same for Shireen, "We do not know any more than we did, or at least nothing we can firmly credit, Your Grace," he informed her after the perfunctory bow. "The most reliable word we've had is that the King reached some sort of accommodation with the wildings in a treat that involved The Gift and then turned toward Winterfell."

"While he would not admit that was his intent before he left, I suspected he would do so if at all possible," Sansa affirmed, attempting to display a calm she did not actually feel. She was tired and anxious, and while she knew he would put duty before anything else, she did not relish admitting he would take on another siege rather than make haste back to his family. Stannis would never understand why she would not want him to risk his life to return Winterfell back to her family. How could he. Before going through the shock of hearing he was dead, she herself would have claimed it was noble endeavor.

After a bath and a meal, Sansa rocked Steffon to sleep in the nursery and then joined Shireen in her bedchamber. She was weary and ached from the journey, but found herself doing all she could to avoid the bedchamber – to avoid laying her head down on a cold, smooth pillow instead of her husband's hair-roughened chest. When Shireen finally fell asleep, Sansa could avoid it no longer and retired. Elise was waiting for her, excited to have her mistress back. Her chatter was diverting for a while, but eventually the handmaid left to sleep in the outer room. The bedclothes were pulled back and a fire roared in the fireplace. Sansa could not bring herself to lie down. Instead, she curled up on the chair next to the bed and stared into the flames until sleep overtook her.

The next four mooncycles saw more confusion and chaos. Sansa was invited to join the Small Counsel, where she frequently exchanged barbed words with Ser Axell when he suggested they accept that Stannis was dead and name Steffon as king. Fears of another war and the rumors of Daenerys Targaryen having dragons caused panic that was increasingly difficult to squelch. Davos would soothe tensions by reminding them there was little that by trying to put the heir on the Iron Throne. Ser Axell stopped his protestations when Ser Lomas let him know that, under no circumstances, would any regent other than the queen be named if a crown were put on the babe's head.

One thing was evident to her. The lack of ravens flying in from all parts of the North said that winter was already as far south as Winterfell and would be upon them soon. To occupy her time, Sansa encouraged the building of glass gardens and assisted Maester Pylos in drawing up plans for both planting and rationing.

Hope came in the form of a raven that got through from House Flint at Widow's Watch. It reported that a fleet headed south had been spotted from their ramparts. Davos sent out ravens to all houses loyal to the King that were in a position to spot the fleet. Word from the Vale of Arryn was sketchy, but the next reliable report came from Dragonstone that the fleet had turned and was headed into Blackwater Bay. Shireen was the one to vocalize the question Davos and Sansa both could not. Why wouldn't they have stopped at Dragonstone to send word to allow preparation for the arrival of their king?

It was nighttime when Ser Aedan knocked on her door and sent a groggy Elise in to tell her the fleet should be in shortly after daybreak. For the first time ever, she snapped at Elise for not dressing her fast enough, although she promptly apologized. Neither she nor Shireen felt like wasting time in breaking their fast before journeying to the docks. Davos, Ser Rolland, and Ser Justin, along with others were waiting to escort them. Marya was among them, offering to stay behind with Steffon, but Sansa said that Stannis would want to see his son. She ignored the looks those present gave each other as she, once again, insisted their king was alive and coming back to them.

As dawn broke, Sansa stood on the docks of Blackwater Bay holding her son, who was well over half a year older than the last time she stood here. As then, Shireen stood by her side, her dark hair worn loose about her shoulders as neither one wanted to spare the time for their handmaids to arrange their hair. The fog was thick that morning, making it difficult to see into the bay. For a time, both sat on folding chairs Davos insisted be brought along for them. Steffon was heavier now and squirmed around in her arms. She sang softly to him, realizing she was attempting to calm her own nerves as much as quiet her son. The same must have been true for Shireen, for she joined in singing The Mother's Hymm.

The fog began to roll back, revealing more and more of the horizon. Sansa had no idea how long they were there before they saw the first bow break through into visibility. It was still too far away to make out the men on the ship. It seemed like an eternity before she could make out men on decks of the returning fleet. At first, they were only visible as blurs of motion opposed to the steady up and down motion of each bow as they headed toward the docks. Sansa and Shireen stood, walking as close to the edge of the dock as they dared as the lead ship, The Fury, drew closer. Holding Steffon with one arm securely wrapped around his legs, Sansa took Shireen's hand and held it tightly as it became possible to make out those standing on deck.

There standing alone at the bow of The Fury, scowl accented with a beard, eyes narrowed from the sun, and the hair along the lower half of his head longer and roughly shorn, stood Stannis Baratheon, First of his name, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Protector of the Realm, father of Shireen and Steffon, and husband of Sansa Baratheon.