A/N: What's up everyone! I'm back with a new chapter. Not the longest in the world, again, but considering how many writing projects I've had going on, I'm glad I got it all out in time. Enjoy!

Chapter 34: Rising Suspicions

Brienne was happy to be out of the hospital. She never liked sitting still for long, even with a gut injury, so it was an absolute relief to walk through those doors. The lingering soreness in her abdomen was a mild inconvenience at worst. She was thinking about who to call for a ride when a honking car horn drew her attention. A car pulled up in front of the hospital and Jaime Lannister rolled down the window.

"Come here often?" he asked.

Brienne raised an eyebrow. "To the hospital?"

"Not my best line, but run with it."

"More often than I'd like."

He grinned. "Happy to take you away from here then. Hop in."

Brienne smiled in spite of herself. Her face felt hot for no reason at all when he smiled at her like that.

There was quite a large folder sitting in the passenger seat when she clambered into the car. She picked it up as she sat and closed the door. "What's this?"

"Some important intel I thought you might want," Jaime said. "Not to drop work in your lap the moment you get out of the hospital. But it's about your missing girls."

Brienne glanced from the folder to him. "Were you investigating while I was in the hospital?"

"Not intentionally," Jaime said. "It's just that the Joffrey situation ended up related to your case. I mentioned to you that he was blackmailed. One of our theories was that he was blackmailed for soliciting prostitutes. That girl Ros? We have evidence she was with Joffrey. There are a few others as well."

"So, what?" Brienne flipped through the papers. "You think Joffrey killed them?"

"Not exactly," Jaime said. "I think they were used to gather blackmail on him and others. And anyone who knows too much about the wealthy elite is a risk."

"So either its their other targets killing them…or it's the one pulling their strings," Brienne said.

"Exactly," Jaime said. "But I have another hunch that might help us dig deeper. Metaphorically and literally."

Brienne shot him a look. "What do you mean?"

"Two years ago, Slynt apparently turned up Arya Stark's dead body. The DNA was apparently a match, but now we know it was falsified. The girl was just the right size not to draw any suspicion." He exhaled. "I think the girl this mastermind put in Arya's place might be one of your girls too."

"And if it is…the same person involved in the deaths of these women may be involved in the Stark case," Brienne said. "Jaime, that's brilliant."

"You don't have to sound so surprised," Jaime said.

"I'm not. Really," she said, flipping through the folder. "Where did you even get this intel? This is pretty comprehensive."

"Bran Stark," Jaime said. "Actually, you may want to talk to him. The kids a genius with computers and obtaining information, especially on the wealthy. Might be able to give you the names of other wealthy clients blackmailed by these women. I'll bet there are a few suspects amongst them."

"Bran Stark," she repeated. She had never even met the boy, but she knew his name well enough. The Stark family all made headlines at some point. He had made them for the accident that took away his legs and for his rude attitude with reporters who tried to corner him when he left the house. "I'll talk to him when I can. Jon may be able to introduce us." She closed the folder. "But first we should focus on the Jane Doe buried in Arya's place. Do you think her mother will give us permission to dig it up?"

"Well, it's not her actual daughter, so I imagine so," Jaime said. "Of course, if we do and someone sees, word may travel back to parties we don't want. Most of the world thinks Arya Stark is dead and I get the feeling we should keep it that way."

"She is buried in a rather public cemetery, even if the family plot is private." Brienne exhaled. "I suppose we'll just have to go in the dead of night."

"We," Jaime smiled. "So you'll let me keep helping then?"

Brienne shrugged, feeling her cheeks warm again. "I'm still recovering from my injury. I need someone to help me out and I'm not sure which officers at the station I can trust."

"There's always Jon Stark," Jaime pointed out.

Brienne shot him a glare. "Do you not want to help?"

"No, no, I do," Jaime said. "I just want to hear you admit that you want me along for the ride."

"I'll admit nothing," Brienne said. "And you shouldn't be an ass to a gunshot victim."

"I'm an ass all the time. It's hard to turn it off."

"On that we can agree," Brienne said. But she wasn't really irritated. Not even a little. Jaime was right. She did want him along with her. The man had once been a thorn in her side, but his old insults had faded away, leaving only the occasional snarky comments behind.

Not to mention, he had been the one to call for help that night. The one to keep her from bleeding out on the ground.

The least she could do was allow him along on this investigation.

Joffrey did not pick up when Myrcella called. That didn't surprise her. She had suspected he might ignore her if he was truly avoiding being found. But she left a cheerful message on his voicemail anyway.

"Hey, Joff. Just checking in. I'm going crazy being alone at the Tyrell manor. There's so few people I even miss you, if you can believe it." She laughed and she hoped it sounded natural. "Are you coming to the wedding? I know you like a good party and this one is shaping up to really be something. The Tyrells are pulling out all the stops. And Uncle Renly is family after all." She shifted from foot to foot, trying not to let the worry creep into her voice. "Call me back when you can, okay?"

After leaving the message, she tried to push all thoughts of Joffrey from her mind. She assumed she would not get a call back. But then that night, close to midnight, her phone rang. And Joffrey's name was on the screen.

She swallowed hard. Steeled herself. Then answered.

"Wow. A call back on the same day. I'm honored," she said.

There was no response for a long moment. Then: "Did mom ask you to call me?"

Myrcella bit the inside of her cheek. She had never been a good liar. Everyone told her as much from her mother to Beth. But Beth had taught her a few things about bluffing and she hoped she had absorbed them.

"No. Why? Have you been ignoring mom's calls again?"

Silence. It was hard to tell if it was one of suspicion or guilt over the phone.

"You shouldn't worry her. She deals with enough already," Myrcella said.

"It's a little late for that," Joffrey said. Something was definitely off about him. Usually Joffrey spoke quickly, brashly, confidently. Insults and retorts slipped off his tongue as easy as breathing. Myrcella had learned to take them or let them roll right off of her.

But he wasn't speaking insults now and his voice was anything but confident. It was strained. Hoarse.

Scared.

"A little late for what?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

"I…" He trailed off. "I fucked up, Cella. Really fucked up. I don't know what to do."

Myrcella shivered, her grip tightening on the phone. Joffrey fucked up rather regularly, but he almost never admitted it. Myrcella had only gotten one apology out of him in her life—when he called Tommen a baby for crying after their father had died. Myrcella had punched him in the arm as hard as she could and demanded he take it back through her tears.

He hadn't. He had stormed off. But later he found Myrcella and Tommen sitting in the parlor playing cards and he sat with them. He apologized under his breath, his cracked voice the only thing that betray his own grief. And they all left it at that.

His admission over the phone told her something was truly serious. She kept her voice steady as she spoke. "Okay. How can I help?"

"You can't," he said. "There's really…there's nothing you can do. There's nothing mom can do. I just fucked up and no matter what happens I…I'm screwed."

"You're not," Myrcella said. "Joffrey, whatever you did—whatever happened—we can figure it out somehow."

"You don't know that. You don't know anything."

"I know that you can't handle this—whatever this is—alone," Myrcella said. "I'm not stupid. I know there's something going on with our family. With the other families. Someone tried to kill me last month and I don't think it was random. They wouldn't have sent me here if it was. I don't want those people to come after you too. Even if you are an ass. You're my brother." She swallowed hard. "So you need to come back, Joff. Please. Come to the wedding. We can figure something out."

Silence. Then a strained: "Okay."

"Okay?" she repeated.

"Okay. I'll come to the wedding," Joffrey said. He didn't seem to be lying. But he did seem scared in a way he didn't often show.

"Good. I'll be glad to see you," she said. "And Joff…It's going to be okay."

"Yeah," he murmured. "Sure."

She expected him to hang up right after that. But there was another strand of silence. Then:

"Thanks for calling, Cella."

The call ended before she could reply. She sank onto the bed, her heart pounding. She didn't understand what he had done or what was going on. All she knew was that the threats she was hiding from in the Tyrell estate hadn't gone away. They were still lurking somewhere in the shadows.

Suddenly, the tentative feeling of safety Myrcella had rebuilt since being here cracked. She turned her phone in her hand. She would tell her mother about Joffrey of course. Tell her about the wedding.

But before that…she needed to call the person who made her feel safest. She needed to call Beth.

Arya was surprised to get the call from Myrcella. The girl regularly texted her, just to check in and see how things were back at home. But she never called. At first, Arya's heart plunged as she feared something might have happened. But Myrcella's voice seemed cheerful enough when she answered the phone.

"Hi Beth. How's everything at home?"

"It's fine," Arya said, shifting into a tone which suited Beth. Formal. Blunt. Calm. The first two she could do but she hadn't felt truly calm in some time. "Did you need something?"

"No," Myrcella said, which seemed like a lie. Her voice was a bit too high and strained. Even over the phone, Arya was good at telling a lie. "Just…you're still coming to the wedding, right?"

Right. The wedding. With everything going on, Arya had almost forgotten. She didn't want to go to a wedding when Joffrey was on the loose and the person pulling his strings still hid in the shadows.

"Of course," she replied. "That's the plan."

"Good," Myrcella said. "I'll feel better having you there."

Arya's brow furrowed. "Seriously, Miss. Did something happen?"

"Are you really back to calling me miss?"

"That's not an answer."

"I know, I know," her voice was breathy through the phone. Distracted. "Just…feels like something is going to happen. That's all."

"Like what?" Arya asked.

For a long time, Myrcella did not speak. Then: "I spoke with my brother last night. Joffrey."

Adrenaline shot through Arya's body and she almost leapt out of her seat. She was grateful that Myrcella couldn't see her in that moment because it was all she could do to keep her voice neutral.

"About what?"

"I'm not sure," Myrcella said. "My mother told me to try to contact him. Apparently he's disappeared. But she didn't tell me why. Neither did he. Only that he might be in danger. And I think he is. He didn't sound right over the phone."

Good, Arya thought. I hope he's in danger. I hope he's hiding out somewhere, terrified out of his mind. He should be.

"It's my understanding that your brother frequently gets into trouble," she said. "Maybe he got into trouble again."

"Worse trouble than usual," Myrcella said. "You're right. He's always making stupid decisions. But most of those roll right off him. He pays his way out or just ignores it. But this time…he fucked up and he knows it."

Oh yeah. He fucked up all right, Arya thought.

"Beth, do you know anything about what's going on?" Myrcella asked. "You're at my house. Maybe you've heard my mother and grandfather talking."

I've heard a lot more than that. But how much would Beth know? "I…know they're looking for him. That its important they speak to him about something." She swallowed hard, trying not to let her voice sound too desperate. "Did he say where he is? Your brother?"

"No," Myrcella said. "But he's coming to the wedding. That's why I asked."

The wedding. He's coming to the wedding. Arya's heart soared for a moment, then twisted in confusion. Why? Did he think that a public venue would shield him? Certainly the Tyrells wouldn't allow a public arrest there, but it would still be easy enough for police to escort him off the property. Maybe he wanted a chance to collude with his mother. After all, Cersei had told Myrcella to contact Joffrey. Was she going to try to spirit him away where justice couldn't find him?

Arya wouldn't let that happen. She refused.

"Well, I'll be there," Arya said. "Are you worried about him doing something?"

"Not him," Myrcella said. "Just…worried. I don't like being in the dark with this sort of thing."

That, at least, Arya could relate to. There was still so much darkness surrounding her father's death and she wanted it gone.

"I've missed you, by the way," Myrcella said. "I've missed you a lot, Beth."

Arya blinked, drawn out of her thoughts of vengeance by Myrcella's soft voice. "I…" she wasn't sure how to respond for a moment. Professionalism? The truth? What would the faceless men want?

"I've missed you too," she said. She wasn't sure if it was the correct response, but it was true. She had missed guarding Myrcella. That felt so much simpler than everything she had been dealing with lately. "But I'll see you soon. The wedding is close."

And she was closer than ever to Joffrey. Closer than ever to answers.

Closer than ever to justice.

Arya went to Tywin first. She considered keeping the information from him, considering she didn't know yet if she trusted him.

But if Myrcella told her about Joffrey, she had almost certainly told Cersei, or was about to. Cersei would eventually deliver the news to him. Arya might has well get the jump on it. She'd rather be the messenger of this piece of intel. She worried that Cersei and Tywin might plot with each other if she wasn't. Or else, Cersei may hide the information from him and plot on her own, and Arya could stop that as well.

He wasn't working when she entered his office. Rather he was staring straight ahead at one of his bookshelves, seemingly lost in thought. She hadn't seen him lost in thought before. He was the type who seemed to never lose focus, but for a split second he looked—tired.

And then he snapped back into his usual self, straightening in his seat. The CEO of the Lannister company back again. But it intrigued Arya to see his moments of weakness. His moments of…humanity.

"Did you need something?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. "I have information about Joffrey."

He tilted his head to the side, a trace of surprise flashing through his eyes. "What sort of information?"

"I know where he's going to be next," Arya said.

She studied him closely, trying to read his response. Would he be worried? Confused? Angry? There was something in his cold gaze, but he didn't give her enough to read. "Did you come to give me that information or hint at it?"

"I want to know what you'll do with it," Arya said. "If you'll hold him accountable. If you'll make sure he's punished for this. I need to know this won't be like every other time he's done some terrible thing."

"This isn't like every other time," Tywin said. "He's never been responsible for someone's death before."

"That's not an answer," Arya said.

"If I give you my word, would you believe it?" Tywin asked. "Your expression suggests otherwise. You've been looking at me that way since you found out."

"Do you care how I look at you?"

"Not particularly. I'm just pointing out that my word won't mean much to you," Tywin said.

"Let's pretend it does then," Arya said.

"All right," Tywin said. "I don't plan on letting Joffrey get away with this. Even if I wanted to, I can't. Your cousin knows. Your mother knows. Your younger brother knows. And you know. If I attempted to sweep this under the rug, you would go to the papers. Your cousin was at the park when Joffrey made his appearance. Your younger brother seems to have amassed a great deal of evidence to support the accusation. And your mother has a good deal of credibility and even more righteous anger."

It was true. Whether she trusted him or not, Tywin would be hard pressed to shield Joffrey now. Better to drop him lest he drag the entire family down with him. But something about his answer did not satisfy her.

"And if it weren't for all of that?" she asked. "Would you shield him then?"

"We're verging into meaningless hypotheticals now," Tywin said. "It doesn't matter what I would do under different circumstances."

It mattered to Arya, though she didn't know why. She knew what Tywin Lannister was. She knew better than to trust him. It was her job to make him trust her, but it need not be a two way street. It shouldn't be, in fact. She couldn't let her guard down.

Tywin exhaled. "You imagine me as more protective of Joffrey than I am. He has done very little to earn my protection over the years. Especially for something of this magnitude."

Arya nodded once, clasping her hands behind her back. "He's going to be at the Tyrell wedding."

Tywin raised an eyebrow. "That…seems a strange choice."

"It seemed that way to me too," Arya said.

"And you're sure its not a false lead?"

"No. Myrcella is the one who told me," Arya said. "Apparently she was able to get in contact with him. She wanted to talk to Beth about it, so she called me." Her brow furrowed. "Do you think…he's hoping to use the crowds and publicity as a shield?"

"Maybe. I would say that he should know better than that, but he's never been particularly bright," Tywin said. "We'll handle it quietly for now. I don't think the Tyrells would forgive us if we make a scene."

No. They very likely wouldn't.

"And what about you?" Tywin asked.

Arya blinked. "Me?"

"What do you intend to do at the wedding?" he asked. "Especially if you find yourself face to face to Joffrey."

A variety of answers passed through Arya's head. She knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to punch Joffrey in the face one hundred times over. She wanted to stick a knife in him and watch his expression twist in pain and fear. He had caused them so much grief over the years and it didn't matter to her if he was guilty or if someone else was behind it. She wanted to take out all her anger on him. And perhaps Tywin could tell as much. That's why he was asking.

"If I see him, I'll alert whoever is closest," Arya said at last. "I can't risk him recognizing me, after all."

Tywin observed her carefully. "I hope you will. Remember that he may be the only one who can give us the true culprit behind your father's death."

Yes. That fact was perhaps Joffrey's greatest protection from all her training with the Faceless Men. She needed him to talk.

"I'll remember," Arya said. "You don't have to concern yourself with me, sir. I will be Beth at the wedding. Beth has no reason to make a scene over your grandson. And she has more self-control than you might think."

It wasn't a lie. Arya had learned a great deal of patience and self-control in her time at Braavos. But still, she would be keeping a close eye on all the Lannisters at this wedding. Because even if she trusted Tywin, she didn't trust Cersei. And if anyone did try to spirit Joffrey away without making him pay for what he did…

Well, then Arya would be ready.

A/N: I enjoyed writing Joffrey this chapter. I think the important thing about recontextualizing him in a modern setting is that while he has a lot of power, he's not a boy king who can do whatever with no consequences. Mostly he's a spoiled kid. So I think that changes a lot about a character, especially when they don't feel invincible. And I liked exploring a bit of him and Myrcella's relationship. The books do say that Joffrey didn't daunt her, so I've ran with that a lot.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I've been shifting into a hyperfixation on Shadow and Bone (a trailer may be dropping tomorrow) and I can tell you with certainty I will be writing fanfic about that when the show drops. I'll continue with this one as well of course :)

Review, subscribe and I'll see you next time!