THEN:

"I've heard a nasty rumor."

"Oh?"

"About you – and your sister."

Tywin could almost believe it was pride he felt when he took in his eldest son. The younger man stood before him, hands casually tucked into the pockets of his tailored suit, with an air of carefully crafted, very nearly perfected nonchalance. At the mention of his twin, the man had jut out his squared jaw, and bore his dark blue eyes upon his father; they twinkled with self-righteous fury.

Tywin gave Jaime life, and raised him to become the proud lion he was, yet the cub still bared his fangs at the hand that reared him when push came to shove.

Well, Tywin Lannister was well versed in pushing and shoving.

He thrived in it.

"Do you deny them?"

"Absolutely," Jaime vehemently replied.

He took a moment longer to scrutinize his son; leveling his steady, pale eyes on the other until he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"So, there is no need to subject the children to a DNA test?"

He watched as his son's eyes widened fractionally.

"No."

He was frightened.

"Good." He pushed his chair back away from the heavily ornate desk before him. He folded his hands over his stomach. "I will not abide anyone giving credence to such nasty rumors, nor will I allow my son to practice law under the Lannister name while such rumors stain him."

Jaime furrowed his brow, and frowned heavily. He took a step forward, almost cautiously, as he cocked his head to the side. " I understand the need for stamping out such rumors, Father, but law? I'm not in law. Tyrion is."

"Tyrion is a hack-" He held up a hand to impede his son's staunch protest for his younger brother. "Never mind the little disgrace. As you are no longer in the employ of the Federal Bureau, I believe it is time you went back to school and received a degree in law. So, that you may take over the practice when the time comes." He sniffed in disdain. "You are never too old to start over. Although, you are pushing it."

If he hadn't been observing his son as he spoke, he would've had to look up to discern why no reply was forthcoming. Instead, he took in the frozen rictus of appalled indignation on Jaime's face. The younger man slowly closed his mouth shut; his jaw clenched so tightly that Tywin would not have been surprised to hear a tooth cracking under the pressure.

Tywin perked a sole brow in feigned surprise. "Haven't you heard the news? Your good-brother Robert saw it fit to relieve you of your duties. There will be an adequate severance package, I would assume-"

"What did you do?" Jaime ground out. He was almost visibly seething.

"I did what I should have done years ago."

"You had no right-"

"I had every right," Tywin snarled back. "You are my son. I should have done something when that unfortunate Targaryen situation occurred, but I abode your wishes then. Not anymore. Not after this."

"This?" Jaime shook his head furiously. "Over rumors? Rumors that you'd be breathing life into by forcing me out of my job!"

"Lower your voice," Tywin snapped as he swiftly stood. He rounded the desk, and was physically upon Jaime before the younger man even realized he had been reaching for him. He grasped his son's chin within his smooth palm, and forced him to meet his eyes. "It's time you've become the man you were always meant to be."

There was a brief flash of hurt that graced Jaime's eyes, before he shifted his stance so that he stood taller, and met his father's eyes with a glower. "You mean the man you want me to be."

"Is there a difference?"

The question was rhetorical.

There was a beat of silence, then another, before Jaime very slowly lifted his right arm and wrapped his long, slender fingers around his father's wrist. He tugged the older man's arm away from his face with visibly restrained force, holding the limb within his calloused palm for a moment before releasing it with an expression bordering on his father's own disgust.

A Lannister through and through, Tywin thought proudly. If not the most foolish.

"I'm not going to practice law." Jaime had schooled his face into a blank expression, but the stringent tone in his voice belied the placidity.

Tywin narrowed his eyes, and studied his eldest son once more. He took a deep, steadying breath before he slowly granted him his acceptance with a curt nod. "Fine."

Jaime's eyes flashed in surprise as Tywin pulled away, rounded his desk once again, and settled himself back into his chair. He steepled his fingers as he continued. "Stannis Baratheon, the dour fool though he is, has found himself the Captain of the Casterly Rock Division. I'm sure you've heard of it?" Jaime offered his father a singular, if not confused, nod. "It seems he's having trouble finding suitable men to fill out his unit. If you're so keen on playing policeman, then you may go and work under him. Otherwise, I expect you to go back to school."

Tywin couldn't help but allow himself a smug smile as he comfortably leaned back in his leather-cushioned seat. He watched as the features on his son's face tightened as realization dawned on him. The two choices were obviously an ultimatum; the options between being a disgraced former agent in an equally disgraced police unit or going back to law school and finally beginning to follow in his father's footsteps. Which appeared to be an equally distasteful future if Jaime's visible derision was anything to judge by.

Any man with an ounce of self-respect and containing at least half of a brain within their skull would have chosen to back to college than work under Stannis Baratheon's ill-reputed force.

"I'll work for Baratheon."

My son does appear to posses only half of a brain.

Tywin didn't allow his thoughts to betray his still expression. Instead, he canted his head to the side and allowed the simple motion to serve as his acquiescence.

The younger man scowled, working his mouth open and closed as he fought the urge to leave the room with a cutting remark, true to his character, but instead he snapped his teeth together. He offered his father a brusque, mocking bow and a sweep of his arm before he executed an about-face and stalked toward the elder man's office door.

The most foolish Lannister, indeed.

TBC...

Please Review.