A/N: New chapter! This one is mostly a transition chapter/fluff, so its not as long as the last two. But I figured I'd give the characters a chapter before doing bad things to them again, ya know? Hope you enjoy :)

Chapter 54: Something New

"Having regrets yet?"

Catelyn had just finished readjusting her blouse when Tywin's question came from behind her. She considered it for a moment before she turned back to look at him where was refastening his watch to his wrist. "No. I don't think so."

"I find that surprising," Tywin said.

"So do I," Catelyn said. "I really thought they would have set in by now. But they haven't." She raised an eyebrow. "You?"

"No regrets as of yet, no," Tywin said. It fascinated Catelyn how swiftly he could return to his controlled, business mode. But beneath that mask there was a whisper of something else. A shadow of a smile. Something softer and more vulnerable which she had seen only minutes ago.

"That is interesting," Catelyn said. "I think we should both me regretting this far more."

"Undoubtedly, yes," Tywin said. "Considering our families."

"But we don't."

"No." He turned to face her. "Why is that…do you think?"

He asked the question casually enough. But beneath that…beneath that there was a real desire for the answer. He wanted to know why she had let him kiss her at all. Why she had kissed him back. Why she had let any of this happen. Did she even know the reason?

For so long, her opinion of Tywin Lannister was a mirror to Ned's opinion. She found her husband a good judge of character, and he dealt more with the business side of things when he was still alive. But once he died and she took her place on the board…well…Tywin Lannister managed to surprise her time and time again. He'd done things she knew would surprise Ned. Things Ned might have been grateful for if he lived. She didn't know.

But this wasn't about what Tywin had done. It was something else. Something deeper than that.

"It's because…you understand," she said at last.

"Understand what?" he asked.

"That no one can replace them," Catelyn said. "Your wife. My husband. No one can ever take their place."

"No," he agreed. "No one can."

"Obviously, you and Ned couldn't be more different from each other," Catelyn said. "But maybe that helps. I'm not trying to recreate the past or replace him. This is just..."

"Something new," Tywin said.

She nodded once.

"You share some traits with my wife," Tywin admitted. "Your stubbornness at the very least. But…you're also very different from each other. So I suppose I agree with that assessment."

Catelyn smiled a little. So he liked her stubbornness then.

"Well," she said. "What now?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Tywin said. "This isn't something I planned for."

"That must be a rare thing, You seem the type to plan for every eventuality," Catelyn said.

"Almost," Tywin agreed.

Catelyn rubbed her palms together "If this is to continue, I think we should establish a few rules."

Tywin's green eyes glimmered with amusement. "Shall we draw up a contract?"

"A verbal agreement will do," she said. "Obviously, we can't let our personal lives get in the way of work."

"No. Certainly not," he said. "And I don't suppose you want any of our children to find out about this."

"Gods no," Catelyn said. She couldn't imagine how some of them would react. Sansa, dear that she was, might understand. But Robb? Arya? She knew her second daughter liked Tywin but she doubted she thought this would happen. And then there were Tywin's children. Cersei…she couldn't imagine the storm that would come if she found out. "I think…discretion is key for now."

"I can agree to that," Tywin said. "And to keeping personal life and work separate." He stood from his seat, approaching her. "So…you do want this to continue then?"

She swallowed hard, looking up at him. Yes. She did. Because being with him…it had felt good. It was a welcome respite from everything that had happened lately. Even if they pretended, things weren't going to be the same between them now.

"If you do," she said at last.

By way of answer, he cupped her cheek in one hand and bent to kiss her shortly. A little thrill went through her at the touch of his lips. And here she'd thought she would never feel something like that again.

"Yes, Catelyn," he murmured when he pulled back. "I do."

"Well. That settles it then," she murmured.

And even after saying those words, the regrets never came. She wasn't replacing Ned. That man couldn't be replaced by anyone. He was a part of her very soul. But Tywin understood that. They were two very lonely people, missing parts of themselves, enjoying each other's company.

There was nothing wrong with finding a bit of happiness in a world so full of pain.

Jaime was relieved to be released from the hospital. He hated being cooped up in that place and if his injuries allowed him, he would have sprinted a lap around the entire city. But just coming back to his shitty, messy apartment was something nice.

He'd been home for a day when he got a knock on his door. And when he opened it, he was pleased to see Brienne standing there. There was a smile on her face and a little blush on her cheeks.

"Hey," she said. "Sorry if I'm…interrupting something important."

"More important than you?" Jaime raised an eyebrow. "Perish the thought." He stepped aside, giving her a little bow. "Come in."

She rolled her eyes, slipping through the door. The moment he closed it, he pulled her to him, locking his lips with hers. She stiffened for a moment as if in surprise. Then gave to it, a little sigh leaving her.

When he pulled back, her face was tomato red.

"Why the look of shock?" he asked.

"Maybe I thought the first kisses were… because you hit your head," she mumbled.

"No such luck, Tarth. You're stuck with me," he said. "Unless you…don't want to be."

"I think I've resigned myself to being stuck with you. Considering my news," Brienne said.

Jaime tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I finally closed the case on those dead sex-workers," she said. "Baelish's arrest helped a great deal with that. Helped fill in quite a few gaps. Barristan was impressed." She smiled. "But…I told him how much help you had offered throughout the process. Put in a good word for you. He's willing to consider letting you back on the force."

Jaime blinked. "I…what?"

"You heard me," Brienne said. "He wants to interview you again. Put you through a few drills. But considering how much work you did for us, it's only fair that—"

Jaime didn't let her finish. He was kissing her again, fiercer than ever. Because it was the only thing he knew to do. Words wouldn't be enough. Not nearly enough.

She shuddered, gripping onto the front of his shirt as he pushed her backward until her back hit the wall. He broke the kiss, letting his lips skim across her red cheeks. Down her neck.

"Do you…" her voice was breathy. "Do you want the details?"

"Later," Jaime murmured. "Right now, I want you."

Her breath hitched as he kissed along her collarbone. "Jaime…I've never…um…"

"That's okay." He glanced up at her. "Do you want to?"

She was still bright red. But he could see desire shining in her blue eyes. She nodded once.

He grinned. "Then I can make that happen, Officer Tarth."

Then he pulled her off the wall, turning her and gently guiding her in the direction of the bedroom.

Arya came to get the last of her stuff from the Lannister house. It wasn't much. A few knives. Some clothes. The last traces of Beth Rivers. She might not use most of it again, but she also didn't want to leave it lying around. Maybe she'd burn some of it in the backyard. The wig especially. She was sure Rickon would love to help her with that. He generally liked playing with fire.

She was just stuffing the rest of her things in her bag when she heard the voice behind her.

"So…I'm losing my bodyguard forever then?"

Arya turned to see Myrcella leaning in the doorway, her golden hair falling across one shoulder in gentle waves.

"Your bodyguard, yes," Arya said. "But…not me. You get Arya Stark now. If you want her."

"I think I do," Myrcella approached her. "You know…we never talked much when we were in school. But I always thought you were very cool."

"I think you might have been alone in that," Arya said with a little grin.

"No, I'm serious. You were so…tough. You never took anything lying down. When someone said something mean to me, I'd just smile and ignore them. If someone came for you or any one of your friends…you snapped right back."

"Yeah. Got me in trouble a few times," Arya said.

"It did. But I remember thinking I wanted to get to know you," Myrcella took her hand, lacing her fingers in hers. "I just…never did. And then you disappeared, and it was too late." She squeezed her hand. "It's good that the world gets to have Arya Stark back. Because the world will be better having you in it."

Arya smiled, leaning in to kiss her warmly. Myrcella had been such a world away from her in school. It was kind of a miracle they ended up together here.

"The world can have a piece of me," she murmured when she pulled back, resting her forehead against hers. "But you can still have most of me. Okay?"

Myrcella giggled. "Yeah. Okay."

Arya knocked on Tywin Lannister's office before she left. She was surprised, when he bid her come in, to find that her mother was already there. She supposed she had asked her mother to come pick her up, but still.

Maybe they had business to discuss, she thought.

"Oh, Arya." Her mother turned, smiling. She seemed to be in a good mood. "Ready to go?"

"Just about. I was just…saying goodbye to whoever is in the house," Arya said.

"Of course," Catelyn said. "We were just going over a few things. I'll be waiting in the car." She gave Tywin a brief nod. "Mr. Lannister."

"Mrs. Stark," he replied.

For a moment, Arya thought she saw a flash of amusement in his eyes, but it was gone so quickly, she wondered if she had imagined it.

When her mother had gone, Tywin sat at his desk again. "So. You're returning to being Arya Stark."

"I am," Arya said. "We'll be sending a statement to the papers tomorrow morning. Expect to see my face on every front page for a few weeks."

"A few weeks? I'd say at least a month," Tywin said. "Have you come up with a proper story?"

"Daughter from wealthy Stark family escapes kidnappers overseas and makes her way back home," Arya said. "Keeping it simple. We'll imply that the kidnappers were already arrested by foreign authorities."

"It will be quite the tale. You'll have vultures contacting you for interviews every hour on the hour," Tywin said.

"I know," Arya said. "But…I think I'm prepared for that."

"Yes. I dare say you are," Tywin said, his mouth twitching.

Arya smiled a little. "So…I guess I'm officially off your payroll. In fact, since I'm about to be a Stark again…does that make me your rival?"

Tywin laughed once. It was the closest the man ever got to true amusement and Arya was triumphant at the sound. "Do you plan to enter the family business?"

"Not sure yet," Arya said. "I didn't think much of my future plans until very recently."

"Well then. I suppose we'll see," Tywin said. "Either way…this isn't the last we'll see of each other, I expect."

"No, sir," Arya said. "Its not." She gave an awkward wave. "Well, goodbye for now. And…thanks again for everything."

He nodded once. "Go on. Don't keep your mother waiting."

Arya hurried from the room at his request. Away from Beth Rivers for the last time. And back into her old life.

The Stark family spent much of that afternoon getting the story about Arya straight. They rehearsed the details so that there would be no gaps that the press would leap on. They agreed on what information not to give them. At this point, they were all quite experienced with dealing with the press.

Arya was handling the whole thing very well. Catelyn expected her daughter to be more nervous, but she had a sense of calm about her that she hadn't seen in a long while. A sense of confidence. When she first returned, she had seemed so small. Only a shade of her former self. But now…she could see the true Arya peeking through again. And she would make sure that Arya felt safe enough to stay.

"Besides Arya, I suspect Robb and I will get the most questions," Catelyn said. "We'll make sure no one targets Sansa. She needs to focus on getting better."

"If anything, my coming back will divert their attention from Sansa," Arya said. "I can live with that."

"If people ask follow up questions, we simply tell them to refer to our original statement," Robb said. "Everything we are willing to answer is there. We'll stay firm on that."

"We really are going to dominate the press for the next month," Bran said. "Between what happened with Baelish and Bolton and now Arya…I think we have to worry about the film industry coming to us for rights."

"Ooh," Rickon said. "Who would play me in a movie?"

"That's not the point, and we're not selling film rights, Rickon," Catelyn reminded him gently.

He sighed. "Fine, fine."

Once everyone was on the same page, they dispersed to get rest. But Arya lingered on the couch. For the first time she looked a bit nervous.

"Mom there's…something else I wanted to talk to you about. I meant to tell you earlier actually, but then Sansa disappeared, and I didn't have the time."

Catelyn sat down beside her. "What is it?"

"I'm…sort of seeing someone," Arya said, her voice rising in pitch as her cheeks turned pink. "Myrcella. I'm seeing Myrcella."

Catelyn blinked. "Oh. Well, I suppose that makes sense. You two have spent quite a bit of time together lately."

Arya eyed her. "So…you're cool with it? You're not upset?"

"Why would I be upset?" Catelyn asked. "If you like girls, then you like girls. I wouldn't ask you to hide that."

"Surprisingly, that's not the bit I thought you'd be upset about." Arya ran a hand through her hair. "After everything that happened with Joffrey and Sansa and our general business rivalry…I don't know, I wondered if you'd consider that family off limits."

Catelyn's thoughts flashed to Tywin Lannister, and she desperately hoped it didn't show on her face. "I see. Well…I think after everything we've gone through with that family in the past year, I think it's fine." She ran a hand through her hair. "In any case, I wouldn't forbid you from seeing someone just because of their family."

Arya let out a relieved breath and smiled. "Good. That's…good."

"I'm happy for you." Catelyn rested a hand on her shoulder. "Myrcella seems like a very sweet girl. Nothing at all like her older brother."

"She's not," Arya said. "She is sweet. And she's been a huge help to me more than once." She shrugged. "And anyway, at least neither of us are involved in the family business yet."

"Yes," Catelyn said, fighting once again to keep her face neutral. "That does make it less complicated."

Arya tilted her head to the side. "Something wrong?"

Catelyn forced a smile. "Nothing at all dear. I'm just tired. Thinking about dealing with the press tomorrow." Good. Change the subject. That was the smart idea. "You don't seem as worried as I thought you'd be. You always hated the press."

"I did," Arya said. "But I'm…kind of looking forward to seeing my name in the papers. And not in the past tense." She shrugged. "The press is nothing compared to what I've gone through in the past year. I can manage it."

"Yes. You can." Catelyn took her hand and squeezed it. "And you won't have to manage it alone. You have us."

Arya nodded, her grey eyes glazed with tears as she smiled. "Yeah. I know."

The next day, it began. They fed the story to a paper they trusted. One that had stuck to the facts about the Stark family as much as possible over the past few years. They gave them the story. Allowed one of their reporters in the house for an interview. Arya played the part of a young woman who had been through a harrowing ordeal but was so grateful to be home. Which was the truth, technically speaking. But she had to act like she hadn't been home and pretending to be Beth Rivers for over a year.

She chose the right words and sold them as best she could. Occasionally, she let a few tears slip but held them back to give the appearance of "being strong". The reporter hung on her every word, writing everything down.

They were at the house for nearly two hours before they left, thanking the Starks profusely for coming to them with the story. And from there…they waited.

It was an explosion of press. The Charity Gala, up until that point, had still occupied a large space in the papers. But Arya's return blew that all out of the water. She didn't read most of it, at Sansa's suggestion.

"I know you get curious," Sansa said. "But most of it is useless. Best to ignore it entirely."

Arya took her sister's advice. She had experience with this sort of thing, after all.

Arya spent quite a lot of time with Sansa over those next few weeks, in leu of venturing outside. It was safer to stay in while the media ran through their initial stories. Sansa helped her with the press, and she helped her with her slow recovery from Long Night.

Sansa was better than she had been at first. The days after her rescue, the symptoms had been bad. Nightmares. Full body aches. At one point she had come to Arya crying because she couldn't see and Arya soothed her and promised it was temporary.

"I went blind for a bit too," she said. "Your vision will come back 100%. Just wait it out."

"You were on this stuff?" Sansa asked softly as she gripped Arya's hand tight.

"Yeah. They used it for training. Building up drug tolerance. Working without senses," Arya made her tone light. "I'm real good at navigating in the dark now."

There were other things too. Bouts of irritability and anger that cause Sansa to lash out and throw things. Lethargy in which she didn't get out of bed all day and they had to force her to eat. But she was starting to level out and get back to her usual self again. The color was coming back into her cheeks.

They both ignored the news. Her mother and Robb didn't. She knew they were actively diverting the press, acting as a shield. But even when Arya asked questions about how things were going, they didn't answer. Her brother insisted things were handled.

"You've done enough of trying to protect us," Robb said. "Our turn. Just relax."

Arya tried. It didn't feel quite right but…on the other hand, it felt nice to be the protected one.

One of the only visitors allowed through the gates was Myrcella. Arya insisted that she didn't have to try to brave the front gates, but she did anyway. Plenty of people tried to interview her. To see how she was connected to this story. She ignored them all, chin high. Apparently once, she snapped in a reporter's face and asked them if they'd like her to tell her grandfather that they were harassing her. They backed right off.

"Gods I wish I could have seen that," Arya said.

"It will probably be online tomorrow," Myrcella said with a groan. "I'm not usually that mean."

"It's cute," Arya said. "I think you deserve to get a little mean sometimes."

This transition period didn't come without its troubles. Arya knew her family was dealing with a lot. She didn't like being cooped up in the house. Par of her missed anonymity. But none of those downsides mattered.

Because when the press faded away and the vultures returned to their nests, she would be Arya Stark again. That was worth all the rest.

A/N: Catwin goodness. Braime goodness. Arcella goodness. That's what this chapter's all about apparently lol. Hope you guys enjoyed. We'll start hinting at our final plot next chapter ;) Review, subscribe and I'll see you next time!