A/N: Happy Monday everyone! Should be some interesting conversations in the chapter this week, and of course interactions between three of my faves (Arya, Tywin and Catelyn). Enjoy!

Chapter 23: Prying Deeper

Catelyn had only been to the Lannister manor once before, when she came to ask Tywin for help looking for her daughter. She had half thought about not asking him at all. The Tyrells, the Baratheons, the Greyjoys, and many other major houses were fine but the Lannisters? She knew that he would not help her. And even if he did, he would only do it to put her in his debt.

And yet she was so afraid for Arya at that moment that she hadn't cared about any potential debts. She asked him, anyway. Because as cold as he was, at the very least he was a father.

That had been just one of their many strange encounters. Whenever they spoke outside of a business context, it was so bizarre that Catelyn spent a long time after the meeting having to turn it all over in her head.

A valet took her car when she stepped out and a servant greeted her at the bottom of the stairs, offering to take her to her daughter. Catelyn nodded once, trying not to stare too much at the gardens or the magnificence of the house. She had only seen this place at night and it was almost blinding in the daylight. The Lannisters certainly liked to put their wealth on full display.

The servant led her through the front hall and down the west wing until she reached a sitting room which the maid called 'the green room'. Perhaps because this place had so many sitting rooms, they had to keep track of them by color. And indeed, much of the furniture in this room was a rich green, accented by gold. Catelyn paced inside, letting her fingers circle the top of a beautiful vase. She wondered, if she were to add up the worth of everything in this room, what would be its value?

"Miss Rivers will be along in a minute," the servant said. "And there will be tea."

"Thank you," Catelyn said. Perhaps she wouldn't have to interact with Tywin after all. That would be a welcome break.

When the servant left, she continued circling around the room. The windows looked out over the backyard where the leaves had changed into an array of brilliant colors. The forest was so thick that the place seemed to be in the middle of nowhere with no neighbors to speak of. In fact, Catelyn couldn't help but wonder how much land this manor encompassed.

The door creaked, and she turned to see her daughter standing in the doorway. She recognized her in an instant now, even though she was dressed as Beth Rivers. A lump formed in her throat and she moved forward to embrace her.

"So you are real then," she said. "I still wasn't sure."

"I'm real," Arya murmured. "Thanks for coming to see me. You know I would visit myself but if I'm seen too much there... someone could see through Beth Rivers."

"I understand," Catelyn said. "I'll come and visit you as often as you'd like."

Arya's mouth twitched. "Even if you have to deal with the Lannisters?"

"Well, you've been dealing with them all on your own. I think I can manage." Catelyn said with a smile.

They sat down as the maid served tea and Catelyn tried not to watch her daughter too closely. It was little things she kept noticing though. Arya used to shovel food into her mouth whenever it looked good, but now she took tiny, controlled bites. It wasn't a bad thing necessarily, but it was... different, and Catelyn found herself wondering what else had changed in the past three years.

But she couldn't ask that. She did not want to probe too deep too quickly.

"What's it like working for the Lannisters?" Catelyn asked. "It can't have been easy. How long were you posing as a bodyguard?"

"It's been a month now," Arya said. "It's not terrible. Myrcella is the one I've spent the most time with and she's great, really. Not a mean bone in her body. I don't know where she got that from." She shrugged. "Tommen is nice too. Just as sweet. Jaime and Tyrion I've only met briefly, so I'm not sure how I feel about them yet. But Tyrion smacked Joffrey across the face and I thought that was nice of him."

Catelyn knew she shouldn't smile at that, but then again, Joffrey was a wretched boy who had taken advantage of her eldest daughter, so she let it slide. "I doubt you're going to tell me that Joffrey is 'sweet'."

"No. Horrid as always," Arya said. "Cersei has been a bit of a surprise, I suppose. She's not a nice person but I think she likes me in a strange way."

"You saved her daughter's life," Catelyn said. "She really has no choice but to like you." She raised an eyebrow. "Does she... know?"

"Not yet," Arya said. "I think she'll like me less once she finds out. I saved one child, but I also used to fight another one of her children regularly. So maybe those two things will cancel each other out."

"Perhaps," Catelyn said. Cersei was way too easy on Joffrey. If Robb acted like he did, Catelyn would have locked him in the house until he learned to behave.

"Jaime Lannister knows," Arya said. "And Sandor Clegane, the head of security. And Tywin."

"Yes, Tywin," Catelyn said. "And what is he like?"

It was an innocuous enough question, but Catelyn meant to ask a great deal with it. She didn't enjoy leaving her daughter in his hands. And on top of that, she imagined he would be terrible to work for. Even people who didn't work for him often found themselves afraid of Tywin Lannister. There was a reason, she supposed, that so many people wanted to 'rescue her' at the charity gala. She wanted to be sure he wasn't mistreating Arya at all.

"Tywin is... Tywin," Arya said. "He's like a living statue and you can never tell what he's thinking. And apparently, he's annoyingly observant." She adjusted her red curls. "I knew. I knew in the back of my mind that he would figure out who I was. Even though we'd barely spoken, I just knew. That's why I tried to avoid him." She sipped her tea. "But here we are."

"Here we are," Catelyn said. "I can't say that I'm upset he figured you out. He said you were reluctant to come home."

Arya's expression changed. It was subtle but Catelyn could see a wall go up between them. "You all already thought I was dead. I thought it would be too complicated if I showed up again."

"It's complicated," Catelyn said. "But it's a relief, Arya. You must know everyone is happy to see you. They just don't understand why."

Arya chewed on her lip, studying her reflection in her teacup.

"I know this hasn't been an easy three years for you," Catelyn said. "You've picked up your fair share of scars according to the Lannisters' private doctor."

Her daughter flinched. "Oh, did he tell you that? I wish he hadn't."

"I'm your mother, Arya. I want to know what's happened to you. Good and bad," Catelyn said. "You've gotten into a good deal of fights. And I know you weren't planning on staying away. The note you left. You said you would come back. What changed?"

Arya set down her cup, looking toward the door. Almost as if she was searching for some escape. "I... can't..."

"Arya, just tell me one thing," Catelyn said. "Was someone keeping you?"

Her daughter didn't answer for a long time and the silence, it seemed, was all the confirmation that Catelyn needed. But still she wanted to hear the truth from Arya.

"Yes," she said at last. "I don't... want to get into all of that. Someone was keeping me for more than two years. I escaped and came back here. But... but I saw that everyone thought I was dead, so I thought..." She swallowed hard. "I thought I could search for Father's killer without worry. No one would look for a dead girl, so I thought I might as well use it to my advantage. The damage had already been done."

Catelyn kept her face impassive, despite the rage rising in her heart at the confirmation that someone had her daughter for two years. "Were you ever planning on coming home on your own?"

"Yes," she said. "After I found father's killer. I thought... then you all might forgive me for being gone."

Catelyn reached out, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Arya, if you were being kept somewhere, it wasn't your fault. You shouldn't have left like you did, without warning. But the staying away...There's nothing to forgive. Truly." She swallowed hard. "And we will find out who did this to your father."

"So you believe me?" she asked. "That he was killed?"

"Yes. I do," Catelyn said, brushing a strand of red hair from Arya's eyes. She knew that the color contacts were important for her daughter's disguise, but she missed their beautiful grey color which had been so much like Ned's. Her daughter always resembled Ned the most of her children. "Arya... the person who kept you. Where are they now?"

"Not a problem anymore," she said in a soft but sure voice. And Catelyn did not mean to pry into that right now. It was something at least.

She sighed. "All right... we don't have to talk about this anymore. I just needed to know the truth. But... I'm sure it's difficult to talk about." She returned to the tea. "You must have plenty of other questions about what happened while you were gone."

Arya gave her a relieved smile, glad to be off the topic of her own past. "I heard that you joined the business to help Robb. That's something."

"It was something," Catelyn said. "I was using a degree I hadn't touched for years. But I think I've done all right for myself."

"Have any of Dad's business partners given you trouble?"

"They did. But it's nothing I couldn't handle."

The conversation devolved into easier topics. Arya was much more eager to speak when the focus was not on her. And she seemed to want to learn as much as possible about life in King's Landing while she was gone. Catelyn kept a light enough attitude... even though she could not stop thinking about what her daughter had suffered.

They spoke as the light faded from the sky, and when it was dark, Arya stood. "I don't want to stop this. Really. But Myrcella is having dinner with friends. It's her first time out of the house since... the incident. She'll need me with her."

"Of course," Catelyn said. "I should head home too."

She let her daughter lead her back to the front hall, knowing that she might get lost if she tried to navigate it on her own. Then they parted at the foot of the stairs and Catelyn watched her daughter hurry back to her job.

It was a strange thing that she was playing bodyguard to Myrcella, a girl who had once been her classmate. But Arya seemed genuinely concerned for the girl's wellbeing. In a lot of ways, it was a natural profession for Arya. She'd always been so naturally protective.

"Mrs. Stark?" Catelyn glanced away from the steps to find Cersei Lannister entering the front hall, a confused expression on her face. "What are you doing here?"

Catelyn had no idea what to say for a moment. She couldn't tell the truth. That she was meeting with her long-lost daughter. Cersei didn't know the truth yet. So she offered something else that might make sense. "Waiting to meet with your father."

"About what?" Cersei asked.

A contract dispute? The possible murder of my husband? What else am I supposed to say?

"A matter that doesn't concern you," Tywin's voice came as a relief to Catelyn for perhaps the first time in her life. He had appeared from the east wing at exactly the right moment. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Mrs. Stark. You may step into my office."

"Right." Catelyn glanced at Cersei. "Sorry to cut this short, Ms. Lannister. Another time."

Cersei's eyes narrowed, but she did not protest now that her father had entered the picture. She simply nodded and continued on her way up the stairs as Catelyn moved to follow Tywin down the east wing. She supposed she wasn't going to avoid an encounter with him after all.

"Do you plan to tell her?" Catelyn asked once they were inside Tywin's office. She had been in his office at Lannister Corporation headquarters more than once, but this space was far grander. Higher ceilings and antique furniture that she knew must have been ridiculously valuable. It was a space befitting a man like Tywin Lannister.

"When it becomes relevant," he said, pacing over to his desk. "Right now it might only complicate matters. Cersei sometimes stops using sense when it comes to her children."

"Is that what you call being protective?" Catelyn asked.

Tywin glanced up at her. "Would you like me to reveal the truth to her and put your daughter in her warpath?"

"My daughter seems to be under the impression that Cersei likes her."

"She likes Beth Rivers. I assure you, she will not have the same feelings about Arya Stark," Tywin said. "Speaking of which, how was your time with your daughter?"

"You mean what information did I extract from her?" Catelyn asked.

"Yes, obviously that's what I meant." He sat down at his desk. "Anything useful?"

"Well, I'm not sure how useful it is," she said. "But she... admitted that someone kept her for over two years. She didn't say where and she didn't say who kept her. Though she said they weren't a problem anymore. I didn't pry into what that meant."

"Two years," Tywin repeated. "Did she say why she didn't return home once she escaped?"

"Because we thought she was dead, and she didn't want to make trouble," Catelyn said. "She hoped that she might find out who killed her father. And that if she did, we would forgive her for being away."

Tywin seemed to consider this information, tapping two fingers against his desk. "That is a start. And we've made a start on investigating what happened to your husband as well."

"Have you?" Catelyn asked.

"Yes. His file was gone from the station. As was your daughter's file," Tywin said. "Someone pulled them. And obviously we know that there was something amiss with your daughter's death report... seeing as she's not dead."

"Do we have leads?" Catelyn asked.

"Some. Your nephew and my son are looking deeper into it," Tywin said. "We may have an update in the next few weeks."

Catelyn nodded once, pressing her fist against her outer thigh. It was becoming more real with every passing day. "Well, like you said. It's a start."

"Yes," Tywin said. "On a separate note, I'm leaving on business for the Reach in two days. I'm taking your daughter with me."

Catelyn's brow furrowed. "Why, exactly?"

"Well, she is Myrcella's bodyguard," Tywin said. "And Myrcella needs to get out of King's Landing for a while. She's been too afraid to even leave her room. So she needs a change of scenery. But I very much doubt she'll agree to go without Beth Rivers." He shrugged, flipping through a few papers on his desk. "It's not up for negotiation. I just thought you'd like to know."

She's my daughter. I don't need to fucking negotiate with you, Catelyn thought. But then, she understood the reasons. Arya was fond of Myrcella and she would want to travel with her to offer some protection and peace of mind.

"Very well," Catelyn said. "I suppose the Reach will be less dangerous than King's Landing."

"Hopefully," he said. "In any case, we'll all be in the Reach before long. Renly Baratheon and Margaery Tyrell's wedding is close at hand."

Right. Catelyn had nearly forgotten about that. It was said to be the event of the year—a marriage between two of the most powerful families in Westeros. But it was a strange match to be sure. Renly was over ten years Margaery Tyrell's senior and there were rumors that he had inclinations toward men rather than women. The press rarely saw them together, and yet when asked, they claimed to be hopelessly in love.

But to Catelyn, this stunk of some sort of economic arrangement rather than a love match. The Tyrells could be trying to align themselves with the Baratheons, which was a problem, considering the Starks usually dealt with the Baratheons and the Lannisters usually dealt with the Tyrells. As long as Stannis stayed in control of the Baratheon company, she supposed that there wouldn't be much change. But if he ever stepped down, Joffrey and Renly were the next most likely candidates to take over the company, and both possibilities could mean bad things for House Stark.

She wondered if Tywin Lannister might have had a hand in this arrangement, but she didn't dare ask him here. Instead, she nodded. "Yes. I'm sure many people will be there. I assume you won't stay there until the wedding though. It's over a month away."

"No, I won't," he said. "I won't be gone more than a week. Your daughter will be home soon enough."

Catelyn nodded once. "Very well. Keep me updated on the rest then." She took a step back. "I'll see myself out."

She didn't wait for his confirmation. It had already been a long day, and she didn't want to prolong this encounter. She guessed that he didn't either. They were only working with each other out of necessity, tolerating the other until they could figure out what was going on in this damn viper's nest of a city.

Once the mysteries were over and the questions answered, they would return to business as usual, and Catelyn could, perhaps, have some peace.

A/N: Arya is spinning lies at record pace. Though at least she wasn't lying about being kept away, because she was. She's just lying about it not being a problem any more...cause it super is. Hope you enjoyed. Review, subscribe and I'll see you next time!