A/N: Happy Monday everyone! Lots of stuff in this chapter, including fun Braime banter which you know I love to write. Plus some other character interactions of course. Enjoy!

Chapter 21: An Impossible Task

Jaime was as surprised as anyone to receive a text from Brienne Tarth. He sort of assumed that unless he forced her into an interaction that she would avoid him as much as possible. But the sight of 'wench' on his phone actually made him smile.

He should probably change 'wench' to her actual name. He would do that later.

B: So, according to Jon Stark, I'm 'trustworthy'?

J: Really? That's strange. Who could have given him that impression?

B: I believe it was you.

J: Did I? Dreadfully sorry. I'm a terrible judge of character.

B: Well, even a broken clock is right twice a day.

A smirk crossed Jaime's face. He leaned over his table, flipping through some of his files again though he was barely reading any of them as he tapped out a response.

J: So did the Stark boy enlist you to help him?

B: He did. Are you in on this whole... thing?

J: I have an interest in the case. It is one of my unsolved ones.

B: Please tell me you aren't using the boy as a new method to return to police work.

Jaime sighed. He supposed that was suspect, wasn't it?

J: I'm not. Cross my heart and hope to die.

B: I don't think that works over text.

J: Well, even if I did it in person, you probably wouldn't believe me.

B: Good point. I wouldn't.

Jaime laughed once. He supposed this would be difficult to explain over text, wasn't it? He called her instead.

"Was texting not enough for you?" Brienne asked when she answered.

"Well, I take twice as long to text now," Jaime said. "On account of the one hand."

She paused for a minute, almost guilty. "Oh. Right."

"Don't worry about it. It gives me the exercise," he said. "I just wanted to assure you that the Stark boy isn't doing this for me. There's been... well let's just say his family is calling the Stark girl case into question. They want a little peace of mind but, unfortunately, the Stark girl's file is missing."

"Ned Stark's file is missing as well," Brienne said.

So, Arya Stark had been right then. This seemed more sinister with each discovery. "Interesting."

"You don't seem that surprised," Brienne said.

"I'm not. The possibility was... suggested by someone recently."

"By who? The Stark boy?"

"No. Another Stark. It doesn't matter."

"Uh huh," she sounded skeptical. "Aren't your families notoriously not friendly? Since when does a Lannister work closely with the Starks?"

Since Arya Stark returned from the dead, Jaime thought. "Oh, we're still not friendly. Certain events have just aligned our interests."

Brienne sighed. "Jaime, I will not help you if you insist on speaking so vaguely."

"Who says I'm asking for your help?" he asked.

"You called me. That means you want something from me. This isn't a friendly chat," she said. "So give me a few answers or I'm hanging up."

Jaime rubbed his stump against the side of his leg. He couldn't tell Brienne about Arya. His father had expressly forbidden him from that topic. But perhaps he could give her another explanation. "My niece, Myrcella... someone tried to kill her a few nights ago."

"Oh," Brienne said. "Gods. Is she all right?"

"She's fine," Jaime said. "But... we think someone paid the man off. She's about the same age as Arya Stark, so my father approached the Starks to see if they knew anything that could help us. That's the reason."

"I see," Brienne said. "So you want to see that file."

"We do," Jaime said. "Or at least talk to the one who wrote it."

"Well, it's Allistair Thorne or Janos Slynt," she said. "I haven't had time to ask either of them yet."

"Slynt," Jaime said. "I'll put money on Slynt. Thorne is an asshole, but Slynt is as shady as they come."

"I think I should ask before we make assumptions," Brienne said. "But yes. I agree with you."

"Hmm." Jaime bounced on the balls of his feet. "Are you going out on patrol with Slynt soon?"

"Unfortunately," Brienne said. "Graveyard shift next week."

"I don't suppose we could cross paths right around then? I'd love to speak to him," Jaime said.

"And why would you need me there?" Brienne asked.

"Well, I need a good cop to my bad cop," Jaime said. "Someone to even me out. I certainly can't be the good cop."

"You can't be either, because you're not a cop," Brienne said. "And because Slynt would avoid you if you asked to meet with him."

"There, see, you get it," Jaime said. "I can be bad, and you can be the cop for both of us."

Brienne let out a long sigh. "You can't make a scene, Jaime. If you make a scene—"

"I won't," Jaime said. "I'll be on my best behavior."

"You just said you would be 'bad'."

"Figure of speech!" Jaime sat down on his couch. "Look, Brienne. This is important. I'm worried for my family right now and something... big seems to be happening. Now usually I'm a complete disappointment to my family but I'd like to at least do this for them. Please."

She didn't respond for a long time. Then he heard a heavy breath at the other end of the line. "I shouldn't say yes every time you say please. It's just that you say it so little."

"You're too kind," Jaime said. "Keep me posted. And thank you."

"You're going to get me fired. Goodbye."

She hung up before he could reply and he sighed, leaning back against the couch. If he was talking to anyone else at the station, he wouldn't be able to stop wondering if maybe they were in on it. But Brienne, she was the one person he knew for sure was good at heart. Honest. If she hadn't been that, she wouldn't have stayed on at the station. They made her life so miserable, but she endured. Because she wanted to be a cop, and she wanted to do the right thing.

He would endeavor not to get her fired. The KLPD would be worse off without her hulking presence.

Arya waited in the car for some time before she worked up the courage to enter her apartment. Mostly because she knew that the Faceless Men had access there, and she worried they had been inside the apartment. Not that she had left anything incriminating there. Tywin had discovered Arya at the Lannister manor, not within the apartment.

But still her nerves buzzed under her skin. This was her chance to prove herself a worthy recruit, and she was terrified of them judging her a failure. She had seen some trainees disappear and never come back and when she dared to ask their names or titles, most of the Faceless men replied 'who'? It was as if they never existed at all then. They were only memories to Arya.

Maybe they were on an assignment like her. Maybe they had gotten a new face. Sometimes they did that at the end of training. They surgically changed your face, so that there was no link back to who you used to be. Or maybe they had just decided that the trainee wasn't worth it. Arya didn't know. They never explained. But if she failed... she would surely find out.

At last, she mustered the courage and hurried up to the apartment building. It was locked, at least, though that meant nothing. She entered slowly, checking for any suspicious shadows on the wall. When she found none, she relaxed and closed the door behind her. Then she set to work, gathering her things.

She should take everything with her to the manor. Anything she left could point to the Faceless men. It was entirely likely that Tywin Lannister could have her apartment searched. They didn't have the right address on file, but he could have people tailing her. She would have to burn the file on Myrcella, for that would make her look far too suspicious. By now, she knew what she needed. As for everything else, she would need to make sure that the apartment was clear of anything that hinted at Braavos.

She hurried to stuff some of her more neutral clothes in a bag. Any that looked too much like she bought them in Essos would go into the trash. It was a good thing she didn't carry too much with her. It made the move easier.

The lock clicked behind her. Arya spun, swiping up her gun in an instant and aiming at the entrance, but she found herself looking at only a blur. The intruder was already inside and had a gun pressed to her temple.

"Hello, slow girl."

Arya let out a shuddering breath. The Waif. What was she doing here? "I didn't know you had an assignment in Westeros."

"That's because you did not need to know," the Waif replied. "Close the door."

Arya obeyed, keeping her movements calm and controlled as she did. She reminded herself that the waif might not know of her failure yet, and she had to proceed based on that line of thinking. If she did not, the waif would sniff out her weakness.

"They wanted me to check in on you," the Waif said, lowering her gun and returning it to her belt. "You were at the Lannister manor for two days. That could have been dangerous."

"Myrcella was almost killed, and I was shot," Arya said. "A minor injury. I dealt with the assailant. They had their private doctor see to me, so I avoided a hospital. My identity isn't compromised."

"That's good," the Waif said. If she knew Arya was lying, it did not show on her face. "Not that you were shot. You should not have been shot at all. Could have risked a hospital. But you are very slow and stupid."

"My apologies," Arya said. "It won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't," the Waif said. "Your incompetence has its benefits. Beth Rivers has gained the Lannisters' trust. Enough to stay in their house at least. That puts her in a good position for her next task."

"And what is that?" Arya asked.

The Waif did not answer her exactly. She circled the room, her hands tucked behind her back. "Is Beth Rivers close with the granddaughter?"

"Yes," Arya said. "She is. The granddaughter trusts her and shows interest in being her friend, although it would be professionally inappropriate."

"Good," the Waif said. "You may let her cross that boundary if you wish, so long as she never sees past Beth Rivers. But Beth must also get closer to the others in the house. Most of all, Tywin Lannister."

Arya's mouth felt dry. "Tywin Lannister." She shook her head. "You may as well ask me to touch the sky. No one gets 'close' to Tywin Lannister. What is the purpose of this?"

"That is not for you to know," the Waif said. "The stupid girl still asks questions. She never stops."

"It's not just that he's made of stone," Arya said. "It could compromise my identity. Tywin Lannister is a smart man, and he's spoken with Arya Stark before. If I get too close and he finds out—"

"Then you are not a very good Faceless Man," the Waif said. "And useless to us."

Arya swallowed hard. There was her answer to how the Faceless Men would react if she told them the truth. Tywin had already discovered her identity. She really wasn't a very good Faceless Man at all.

"Do you think we only trick the blind and the dumb?" the Waif said. "No. We trick the best. If you are going to pass this test, so must Beth Rivers. Not to worry. Opportunities will be provided. Understood?"

What does that mean? Opportunities will be provided. What opportunities?

Arya started to bite her lip, but stopped because she knew that was a sign of weakness. Instead, she paused and straightened her back, taking the position of Beth again. "Yes. Understood."

"Good. The stupid girl is not so stupid." The Waif smirked and Arya hated her for it. How many times had this girl tormented her in the darkness of the House of Black and White? Called her names, attacked her when her guard was down. Once or twice, she had nearly killed her. The Waif said she was helping and Jaqen said Arya had to adapt if she wanted to survive. Because a recruit who could not even survive the House of Black and White was useless in the field.

Arya had already failed a test, but for now, the Waif was buying her lies. She would have to play the game carefully, but it was still possible for her to pull out a victory.

She just had to tread lightly.

Arya did not make any detours on the way back to the manor, except to burn any incriminating evidence over a nearby trash can. She was wary of going anywhere else, because if she was gone for too long, that could give Tywin Lannister reason for suspicion. He was on guard with her for now, ever since he found out she snuck into his payroll. She had to earn his trust again... somehow.

But the task set before her seemed practically impossible. The Waif might as well have asked Arya to breathe underwater or free climb a skyscraper with one hand. People didn't get close to Tywin Lannister. He seemed to even keep his own children at arm's length.

The waif had said 'opportunities will be provided' and that sounded sinister.

So, when Arya returned to the manor, she did not seek out Tywin Lannister. She started with a slightly easier target. She dropped her things in her room and went to Myrcella, rapping twice on the door.

"Who is it?" Myrcella asked. She sounded tired, as if she had just woken up.

"Beth," Arya replied. "I'm sorry if this is presumptuous, miss. I just wanted to make sure you were all right."

There was a brief silence from beyond the door. Then it cracked open and Arya saw Myrcella peering through. For the first time, she was not put together. She had thrown on some shorts and a grey tank top, her hair was a mess, and she wasn't wearing a spot of makeup. She was pretty as always, but Arya couldn't help but feel some concern.

"Beth," Myrcella said. "I'm glad you're okay. After they shot you, I worried."

"They fixed me up," Arya said. "It really wasn't severe, Miss. Just a graze."

"It was... a lot of blood though," Myrcella murmured.

"I know," Arya said. "I'm sorry for scaring you."

She shook her head. "You're not the one who scared me." She stepped aside from her doorway. "Will you come in?"

Arya nodded once, stepping into the room. The room was a mess, though perhaps she only noticed because Myrcella usually kept the room immaculate. Arya had barely had time to think about the night of the attack. Tywin discovering her identity, reuniting with her family, and the discovery of the missing files… all of it pushed the near shooting to the background of Arya's mind. For Myrcella, it had been one of the most terrifying days of her life. For Arya, the day wouldn't possibly make the top ten. Not even the top twenty.

This says something about the state of my life, probably, Arya thought as she turned back to face Myrcella.

"You weren't hurt at all in the chaos, were you, miss?" she asked. "I was so focused on getting you out of there. I wasn't sure."

"No, I wasn't hurt," Myrcella said. "Scraped knees I think from when you pushed me but... better than being shot." She swallowed hard. "Phillip didn't do so well, did he? I saw his head and..." She cupped a hand over her mouth and Arya saw the emotions rising in her. She stepped forward, resting her hands on Myrcella's arms.

"Hey. It's all right," she said.

"It's not," she said. "It's my fault. If I hadn't insisted on going to that party maybe Phillip—"

"No," Arya said. "Don't blame yourself for that. Blame the one who shot him. You didn't do that, Myrcella. It's not your fault."

A shaky sob left her, and Arya felt a pang in her chest. She cared so much, didn't she? About her driver. About her family. About everything. And when something like this happened, she barely knew how to cope. Arya remembered being something like that a long time ago, and she wanted to help her.

"It's not your fault," she said again, brushing her tangled blonde curls back from her face. "I promise. And you don't have to be afraid. That man can't come after you again."

Myrcella nodded once, letting her head dip to rest on Arya's shoulder. She stiffened for a minute, knowing that Beth might not be so forthcoming toward this girl. But then she also remembered the Waif's words.

"You may let her cross that boundary if you wish, so long as she never sees past Beth Rivers."

Myrcella had not seen past Beth. So it seemed safe enough to let her cry into her shoulder. And it even seemed safe enough to wrap an arm around her.

"It's all right," she murmured. "You're safe. I promise."

And though Arya was not sure if she could promise that... she wanted to. She really did. And she wished that Beth Rivers was a person who truly existed so that her promises could mean something.

A/N: So the waif is in town and definitely watching Arya. Keeping up the Beth Rivers persona is paramount, so we'll see how she does. Thanks as always for reading. Review, subscribe and I'll see you next time!